Lightning Rod for Trouble
by wolfe80
Summary: AU set after Season 3. Not Movie Compliant. Set following the first story in this series, Lightning Strikes Twice. Veronica has returned to live in Neptune after 8 years away and is starting a new career working with the Sheriff's Department as a consultant. She's also starting over with Logan, and this second story will pick up shortly after the first one ended.
1. Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

A/N - Here goes my second story in this AU series, well also my second ever FF too. I hope everyone who reads it will enjoy it as much as the first. I won't be updating as quickly as I did with the first one, but hopefully will still get a new chapter out at least once a week. I love to get your comments, whether good or bad, so please let me know what you think. Maybe more comments will keep me motivated to get the new chapters done faster. I'll also be posting this over on AO3.

Disclaimer: Only borrowing these wonderful characters from Rob Thomas. I sadly own nothing, but wish I did. (Okay - I guess I could claim owning Alexis, but given how much people loved to hate her in the first story, not sure I want to - haha )

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><p>Chapter 1 – New Beginnings<p>

It had been a little over two weeks since Keith had returned from his cruise and Veronica had let him know of the decisions she'd made to stay in Neptune, move in with Logan, and take a position with the Sheriff's Department as a consultant. The first week after Keith had returned, she spent most of her days catching up with him and still helping out at Mars Investigations while she waited for the official approval for the position at the Sheriff's department to go through. Of course she spent all of her evenings and nights with Logan, continuing to get reacquainted after eight long years apart.

Logan had assured her that he wasn't purposely delaying the new position, but needed to get it approved with the next city budget proposal that was going through. Luckily they had just finished putting the latest proposal together and he was able to make the change prior to the meeting that was coming up at the end of that first week. He of course had still taken advantage of doing her that favor and used it as leverage to get her to agree to a few things that week. The biggest was her agreeing to let him buy a new car for her to drive. Initially he had offered to let her drive either the BMW or the Range Rover, but one of them would be driving the Range Rover every day, which she pointed out wasn't really the most economical idea. Of course Logan had scoffed a bit at that, but his eyes lit up at the idea of going shopping for a new car.

Logan had taken an afternoon off and they drove down to San Diego to visit his favorite dealership there. She had argued on the way there that they should just get something practical and that he didn't need to spend a fortune on another car when he already had the other two, but her words were definitely wasted on him once he sat behind the wheel of the latest Mercedes-Benz GT AMG. She was pretty sure the car was not actually going to be for her once she saw that gleam in his eye. She was of course more than happy to just drive the BMW, since it was a convertible after all, but she was still thrilled to have something to give him a bad time about.

"I'm not sure I really like it," she said in the most neutral voice she could manage as she stood next to the opened door and looked in at him. He had been intently running his hands along the steering wheel and glancing across the dash at all the controls. As soon as she spoke his attention whipped to her and his expression changed to utter disbelief.

He quickly climbed out, wrapping his hands around her shoulders and gently shoved her toward the drivers seat. She gave him a slightly annoyed look, which he clearly ignored and started to adjust the seat for her once she was in the car.

"Whoa, there buddy," she said with a bit of exasperation in her tone, "what do you think you're doing?"

"You've got to take it for a test drive and then I'm sure you'll love it." He had such an eager expression on his face that she had a hard time not laughing at him. Once he had her situated, he wandered over to talk to a sales guy then came back with the key fob a few minutes later. She shook her head with an amused expression on her face as he climbed into the passenger seat and leaned over and started the car. She drove it for a little while then asked if he wanted a turn. She had to laugh at the way he practically skipped around the car to take his turn behind the wheel. She tried coming up with reasons she didn't think they should get it, but knew it was a pointless exercise as she watched Logan practically drooling over it.

She had insisted on being the one to drive the Benz home from San Diego once he'd taken care of all the paperwork. She couldn't help but notice his immediately deflated look as she had said it, but he also didn't object. He'd insisted on following behind her as they left the dealership and she couldn't help but wonder how badly he was pouting back there to himself in the BMW as she merged onto the freeway. She smiled mischievously as she pulled off at the first rest area just outside of San Diego and then gave him a loving look as she tossed him the key fob to the Benz when he got out to see what was wrong. She was looking forward to her reward for that all the way back to Neptune and wasn't disappointed at all once they returned home. He had been really sweet every morning asking which car she wanted to drive before she finally told him she'd just use the BMW and he could stop asking.

When Veronica was able to officially start working at the Sheriff's department, she was happy to see a few familiar faces. A few of the better deputies that had been there when her dad was sheriff were still on the staff, including Jerry Sacks. She was also taken by surprise to see that Norris Clayton had become a Sheriff's deputy as well. He gave her a shy smile when he saw her, not sure she'd remember him from so many years before and if she did apparently worried about her impression from then. She of course did remember him, and quickly tried to put him at ease. He was one of the newer recruits in the department, and didn't have a formal partner yet, so Leo had told her they would most likely be sent out together on cases. Even though he was a bit of a rookie, Leo was really pleased with his performance and knew he'd keep Veronica safe and that he could learn to be a better detective from working with her.

Leo had her start with a couple of simple robbery cases, which given her investigative skills, she was able to easily solve in a couple of days. There was also a more complicated robbery case that Leo had been having little luck with over the past few weeks that he also asked her to work on.

The complicated case was a string of jewelry thefts, all at 09er residences. Leo hadn't been able to find a common thread yet between the families, but the M.O. of the robberies seemed to be the same. The items stolen were mostly very expensive necklaces, all of which had been insured, so the families that had been robbed were less concerned about the loss of their jewelry than the hassle of having to file the reports for their insurance claims. None of the stolen merchandise had shown up in any local pawn shops, or any shops that they'd contacted in neighboring areas. But considering the type of jewelry that had been stolen, it really wasn't surprising that no one was trying to just pawn them. Given how expensive the necklaces were, they were always kept locked in a safe in the owner's homes, and that resulted in them not having much luck determining the exact time that the jewelry had been taken. Typically the wives would recall the last event they'd worn the necklace to and then usually weeks later, when they went to retrieve either the necklace or something else from the safe, they would notice that they were gone. There never appeared to be any other signs of a break in, and even if there were other items of value in the safe, there was generally only the one item taken. There were a couple of exceptions where a matching pair of earrings had been taken as well.

While it wasn't a case to help take down the Fitzpatrick's, Veronica still found it quite fascinating and jumped into the notes in the file to see what they'd found already to determine what angle she wanted to pursue next. Logan of course was thrilled that Leo seemed to be having her work on burglary cases, and that there weren't any gruesome murder cases or pursuit of drug dealers for her to get wrapped up in yet.

It was a Monday night and the two of them were sitting at their kitchen table eating dinner. Veronica was poking at her plate, obviously thinking of something other than what she was eating. She'd been fairly quiet through out most of the meal and had a far away look on her face. Logan watched her for a few minutes as she moved the same small piece of chicken around in her plate. "You're still able to go to the event at Hearst tomorrow night with me, right?" He asked as he stabbed a piece of asparagus with his fork and started twirling it around in front of himself.

"Mmmm hmmm," she replied still just focusing on her plate. She obviously wasn't actually listening to him and was lost in her own thoughts.

"Great, don't forget clothing is optional since it's a college art exhibit. They encouraged nudity in the invite." He smirked at her waiting for the moment her brain started processing what he'd said.

"Okay..." she replied, then her face contorted in confusion, "what?" She looked up at him, and then rolled her eyes as she caught his smirk turn into a bigger grin and he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Seriously though," Logan continued, "do you have time to stop by Monique's for a new dress tomorrow or would you rather she just send a few over to the house and you can pick one you like?"

"Do I really need a new dress for every event?" She whined giving him a slightly put out look.

Logan feigned complete shock. "I can't believe you'd even ask that." His voice took on a mocking tone. "You surely don't want to end up in the gossip pages in the same dress twice, do you?"

She chuckled at his reaction and shook her head. "Oh, I'd hate to embarrass the Mayor." She gave him a little half smile, "I'll find some time to stop by tomorrow afternoon."

He tipped his head down and looked back up at her through his lashes. "You do know I'd never be embarrassed by you."

She laughed in a mischievous way. "Oh I bet if I tried hard enough I could find a way."

He smiled broader and shook his head. "Doubtful, but don't take it as a challenge either."

She smiled slyly and nodded back. She went back to poking food on her plate and he saw her expression shift back to being deep in thought again. He was wondering what it was that she was contemplating so deeply. He was debating about asking what she was thinking so intensely about, but before he could get the words out she looked up and broke the silence.

"When you were with Alexis, did you ever buy her really expensive jewelry?"

Logan cocked his brow up and studied her more closely. Even though he had tried really hard since she'd been back not to fall back into old habits, his mind still screamed '_mine field__'_ at him as she asked. He looked at her a bit cautiously before he spoke. "Do you mind if I ask why before I answer?" His voice had taken on a worried, tentative tone. She shot him an annoyed look. His reaction was to shrug back. "I'll answer either way, but thought I could work on my defense strategy with a bit more Intel."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "It's for a case."

He looked at her skeptically still wondering how this was going to work out for him. "Yes."

"Like the kind you'd insure because it was that expensive." He nodded in reply. "She didn't happen to leave any with you did she?" she asked with a quizzical look on her face.

Logan's expression became confused and he chucked nervously. "Um no, I'm pretty positive there aren't any valuable pieces of jewelry in the cardboard box tossed in the back of one of our closets."

"Okay," she replied then went back to torturing her food.

He shook his head with a disbelieving expression on his face. That wasn't exactly the reaction he'd expected, so he pressed her for more. "Care to elaborate on that?"

She just provided him with a shrug as her only answer. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes to think for a moment. The past two weeks had been mostly free of any Alexis issues. Veronica had been pretty busy with her dad and getting started at the Sheriff's Office, so the two women hadn't really run into each other and his interactions with Alexis had been limited to City Hall. There was one brief run in with both of them Halloween night at Growlers, but once Logan and Veronica had arrived, Alexis had left to go down to The Clover with Tommy. He couldn't really imagine where this question came from, and against his better judgment he decided to press on. "Okay. What would the response have been if I'd said that she had left something?"

"I was going to ask if I could borrow it." She paused thoughtfully for a moment, and then asked, "Do you think Mac would have some?"

He felt like he had clearly missed some part of where this conversation had come from as well as where it was going. He squished his face up in confusion. "Are you hinting that you'd like me to buy you some expensive jewelry?"

She'd returned to her internal thoughts again and it took her a moment to register what he'd just asked. "What?... Oh… no." She laughed upon seeing his terribly confused expression. "It really is for a case I'm working on, high end jewelry theft."

Logan raised his eyebrows at her. "And you were hoping to lure the thief to steal yours, well hers?"

She laughed, "I guess so. Although when you say it like that it doesn't sound as good, especially given our house is more protected than Fort Knox."

He laughed and then his expression became thoughtful. "Actually I do remember a couple weeks ago when we were out golfing, one of the other lawyers from Roger's office mentioned that his wife had a necklace stolen."

Veronica perked up and set down her fork. "Roger must pay much better than the DA in Massachusetts."

Logan laughed, "His wife is the daughter of one of the programmers that worked with Jake back when he first started Kane Software. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Dave's salary that paid for it."

"David Jenkins?" Veronica asked looking more interested in the conversation than a few minutes earlier. Logan nodded in reply. "I remember reading their information in the case file." She debated about what to say next, "I had thought a bit about insurance fraud, but there have just been too many cases for it to seem plausible. And I suppose if his wife is wealthy, that seems even less likely."

"So you haven't found any connection yet between the victims?" Logan asked before finally taking a bite of the piece of asparagus he'd stabbed earlier.

She shrugged. "Of course they are all 09er zip code residences. All had the jewelry locked in a safe and noticed at some point later they were gone. No sign really of a noticeable break-in at any of the residences, so it seems more like an inside job."

"Ah, a'la Jack MacLean." Logan said in reply. She gave him a confused look. "Secrets of a Superthief?" He asked, to which she still looked confused. "He stole over $100 million worth of jewelry in Florida in the 70's and 80's before he was caught. The robberies were so well done that people frequently accused their own family members. He wrote a book while he was in prison. I think I have a copy of it at the beach house."

A faint smile started slowly appearing on her lips. "Perhaps we need to make a trip there soon for research purposes then."

He gave her a knowing smile back and nodded. "And I'm sure you've crossed checked any staff they have employed," he asked still curious about her case.

She nodded, "Yeah, a couple of the families use the same house cleaning service, but several don't actually even use a service."

Logan gasped in feign shock. "09er's without maids? Say it isn't so?"

She shook her head and gave him an annoyed look. "Not everyone needs to have a cleaning service or a maid Logan."

He smiled slyly at her. "Are you saying I should fire Rosa and you'll start keeping the house clean instead?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes, "No, I'm not saying that."

He knew she would probably happily keep the house clean, but he also knew Veronica adored Rosa and would feel horrible if they were to fire her. He'd come home a couple times to the two women chatting away in the kitchen and baking cookies together. He winked at her and continued asking about the case, "So no other employee connections?"

"A couple families have used the same pool service, but again, that's pretty sporadic and not a constant in any of the cases." He nodded in understanding.

"The only other consistent thing is the Insurance Company and Agent."

Logan nodded, asking, "Grant Whitman?"

She nodded back and looked at him a little surprised. "How'd you know that?"

"Well he's the main guy in town for those types of policies. He's a pretty good salesman too. He frequently attends all the high society events to be sure any new wealthy individuals have met him and generally convinces people to switch to using him even if they had another agent to begin with. I also think most all of the jewelers in town recommend him when they sell expensive jewelry."

Veronica cocked an eyebrow at him, "How many different jewelers have you bought expensive jewelry from?"

_And here this had been going so well, until I got a little too helpful_, Logan thought as he grimaced to himself. He let out a small sigh, "A couple."

Veronica narrowed her eyes for a moment then exhaled and tried to let that go. _I started this so I need to be grateful for his help and not get upset about him buying expensive jewelry for Alexis when she was his girlfriend or fiancé,_ she thought to herself as she tried to force a smile back on her face.

After her slight glare, Logan figured his best option was to move the topic back to her case again. "Was there a connection through the jewelers?"

Veronica shook her head, "No, and that seems pretty unlikely for how they'd get them out of the safes." She squished up her face, "That's not a common rich person thing is it? Invite the jeweler over to take them in for servicing or something is it?"

Logan shrugged, "I know we never did that at least."

Veronica tried not to react to the _'we'_ in that reply. Hearing Logan refer to himself and Alexis as 'we' definitely sent a wave of insecurity through her though. She had brought the topic up and knew that she shouldn't let that bother her, but this thing between them was still so new and she still had her concerns about Alexis's role in his life. While he had told her several times she was more important to him than Alexis was, the truth was that he'd spent seven of the last eight years as either her friend or lover and there was probably more history between the two of them than she actually had with him. Logan and Alexis had been a formal couple for almost four years, while the two of them had been off and on so frequently, the 'on' time had probably amounted to less than 6 months if you added it all together and really stretched it. _This time will be different. This time we can make it work._ Logan had looked back at his plate as he had answered and at least he'd missed any reaction on her face if there had been one.

Logan realized all of a sudden she seemed to get quiet again, so he looked back up at her to see if she'd gotten lost in her thoughts again. This time though she was staring at him with an expression he couldn't quite read though. He gave her a warm smile before speaking again. "I'd seriously buy you something nice if you'd let me."

She reached over and squeezed his hand that was resting on the table and gave him a loving smile. "I know, but it's really not necessary."

He nodded and looked down at his plate again. He started playing with another piece of asparagus on his fork. She hoped he wasn't actually upset about her response since he should know that she had never been one for wanting to wear expensive jewelry. It took him a few minutes to start talking again. "Did you ask your Dad for any suggestions?"

She shook her head, "No, it's my first big case and I'm trying to solve it on my own."

He smiled lovingly back at her, "Thanks for bouncing ideas off of me then."

She gave him a warm smile and nodded. She really did like being able to talk to him about this sort of thing. And the life style of the rich and famous was something she definitely didn't know all about, just the things she'd learned from living on the fringes of it with him and the Kanes as they were growing up. Super expensive jewelry had not been on her radar back in those days. Although she and Lilly had certainly snuck into Celeste's jewelry a time or two, but they never discussed the boring parts like insurance or routine cleanings.

Logan seemed to remember something else all of a sudden and his expression changed. "Oh yeah, Heather texted me earlier today and wondered if we'd be free Wednesday night for dinner. She's still dying to officially meet you."

"That sounds great. I'd like to officially meet her too."

"I still owe her a dinner at the new Sushi place that we didn't make it to the night I ran into you and Casey when you first got back to Neptune," Logan said a bit apologetically.

Veronica gave him a knowing smile. "Ah yes, back when you were stalking me. Good times." She gave him a little wink as he shook his head at her. He stood up and started carrying their dishes to the kitchen. She grabbed what he couldn't carry and followed behind him. He quickly rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. She loved how he was so compulsive about it, and would never dare just leave them in the sink to do later.

"So what's for dessert?" She asked giving him a seductive smile.

"I thought we'd take a walk on the beach." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and then walked to the closet to grab a light jacket for her. The weather had gotten noticeably cooler since it was now early November, and he knew she'd complain about going for a walk if she wasn't warm enough.

She stood there with a slight pout on her face. _Ok, that wasn't the 'dessert' I had in mind_, she thought to herself as he brought her jacket to her and kissed her on the forehead again.

She sighed and put her arms through the jacket that he was holding out for her. "Fine, but I'd rather have sex or chocolate… or sex _and_ chocolate." she said in a sultry tone.

He laughed and shook his head, then grabbed her hand and led her to the back door. He turned on the path lights when they reached the path to the beach. He saw a little smile creep across her lips as the lights came on. No matter how many times she'd seen them, she still got the same little sparkle in her eyes when they first lit up the path. It was like there was something magical about it and he loved that blissful look when it spread across her face. They walked hand in hand toward the gazebo. The closer they got, the louder the crashing waves became. The moon was full and it reflected off the ocean, illuminating the beach as well.

She expected to continue out to the sand to walk along the shoreline, but he pulled her toward the gazebo instead. He kissed her quickly on the lips, and then pulled out one of the chairs at the table for her. She cocked her eyebrow at him, as she took a seat. She hadn't noticed the candle in a glass hurricane vase until after she was seated. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter to quickly light the candle. She smiled sweetly up at him, wondering what he was up to. He gave her a quick kiss on the head then walked over to the fridge and came back with a large dish of chocolate mousse and two spoons.

"Chocolate first, then sex, okay?" He teased with a little wink. Since it was a little chilly, he also went over and started a fire in the fire pit for them to stay a little warmer. She'd already taken a couple bites of the mousse as he came back over and sat down. She looked up at him lovingly and held out a spoonful for him to take a bite too.

"Mmmmm," he moaned softly as he sucked the mousse off the spoon. He kept his eyes locked on hers as he closed his lips tightly around the spoon and she pulled it back away from his mouth. He could see her eyes getting even darker with lust and her skin became a bit flushed as well. He waggled his eyebrows at her. "More please," he asked in a low sexy voice. She took another spoonful of the mousse, and started to lift it toward his mouth, then at the last moment, pulled back her hand and put it in her mouth instead. He gave her a sad pout to which she couldn't help but smile. She took another spoonful and held it out for him. He grabbed her wrist this time, and sucked the mousse off the spoon again, taking longer to suck it off than the time before using his tongue more than his lips this time. Once he swallowed the mousse, he ran his tongue over his lips, and then started placing kisses on her wrist, moving farther down her arm with each kiss. He could feel her body practically melt under his lips and heard her take a deep breath of air. He released her wrist and looked at her intently.

"Your turn?" he asked in a sensuous tone. She nodded and he picked up his spoon and took a spoonful of the mousse and held it up to her lips. She was as slow and deliberate at sucking the mousse off the spoon as he had been. She heard a low moan escape his lips as he watched her. She smiled seductively and held up another spoonful for him to eat. He ate the mousse off the spoon, then pulled her chair closer to him and started placing kisses along her neck starting down by her shoulder and moving up to her ear. He sucked on her earlobe, causing her to drop the spoon on the table. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. He sucked lightly on the skin under her ear, causing her to moan and lean into him more. He brought his head back away from her neck so he could press his lips to hers and kissed her deeply.

"More mousse?" He asked as he tilted his head so their foreheads were still touching.

She shook her head, and answered breathlessly, "I think I'm ready for the next course please."

He picked her up and carried her over to the lounge chair that was closest to the fire pit. The main lights were off in the gazebo, so the only glow was from the candle and the fire. He laid her gently down and then sat next to her, laying on his side so he could watch her. The fire reflected off of her eyes, as she gazed lustfully at him. He ran his hand over her hair, pushing a few strands that had blown into her face back behind her ear. He gave her a deep kiss, and then paused to look at her again. "If it's too chilly, we could head back up to the house." he offered in a soft voice.

She shook her head. With the fire and his hot body next to her, she wasn't worried about being too cold. The gazebo sat far enough back on the beach and the spot where the lounge chair was had a low wall in front of it, so she wasn't really worried about anyone seeing them either. Plus with the time of night and their secluded location, there was little chance that anyone would be walking by. He quickly removed her jacket, and rubbed his warm hands up and down her arms making sure she wasn't too cold. She tugged on his shirt, and he helped her pull it over his head, before removing hers. He smiled at the red lacy bra she was wearing. Closing his mouth over the lacy fabric and feeling her through it. "Mmm, red… my favorite," he moaned against her skin.

Soon they had removed the rest of their clothing, and their bodies were pressed together. Sometimes when they were together like this, Logan still had a hard time believing it was real and not just one of the dreams he'd had during the years she was gone. He loved watching her as they moved together. It was as if they couldn't help but set their pace to match the waves crashing on the shore, at least initially. Once her moans and gasps would increase he'd lose focus on the waves and could only react to her warm body trembling beneath him.

After they were done making love, they laid naked on the lounge chair with their bodies intertwined together. He was still placing soft kisses on her neck, while she was catching her breath. "Mmmm, thanks for dessert." She said in a soft breathless voice. "You know it's my favorite."

He laughed softly and nodded against her neck. "You can never go wrong with sex and chocolate," he replied softly as the ocean waves crashed against the beach in the distance.


	2. Chapter 2 - Hearst Take Two

A/N - Thanks for all the great comments so far. I'm excited to see what people think of this one since Alexis makes a brief appearance again.

Disclaimer: Only borrowing these wonderful characters from Rob Thomas. I sadly own nothing, but wish I did.

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><p>Chapter 2 – Hearst - Take Two<p>

On Tuesday morning, Veronica headed to the Sheriff's Office after kissing Logan good bye for the day. Leo was out in the front office talking to one of the deputies when she arrived. The Sheriff's Department had moved to a new building while she was gone, and the new office had several private offices in addition to an open area with desks for some of the deputies. Veronica had been given her own office, which was located right next to Leo's.

"G'Morning," Leo said in his usual chipper tone with his slightly bashful smile.

"Are you and Logan going to the Hearst event tonight?" He asked curiously after Veronica had returned his greeting.

"Yeah, we are. You?" Veronica wasn't surprised that he would be invited as well since Logan had mentioned that Hearst tended to invite a lot of the local city officials when they went to see the play. Leo nodded in reply. Veronica got a sly look on her face. She'd pestered him a few times about whether he was dating anyone special and he'd remained completely coy about it. "Are you bringing anyone special as your date tonight?" she asked with a curious expression, her eyes narrowing slightly.

He shrugged and mumbled his reply, "Maybe… I am bringing a date along."

"Hmmm…" Veronica thought momentarily about his answer. "Is that a 'maybe' that she's someone special then?" She grinned at him mischievously.

Leo gave her an embarrassed half smile, and headed toward his office. Veronica of course wasn't content without an answer, so followed him and stood in front of his desk as he sat down. "So, who is this mystery woman?" Veronica asked, clearly not ready to give up without getting some answers from him.

Leo chuckled and even blushed a bit. Veronica found it endearing how he could run the Sheriff's Office with complete authority, but when it came to talking about his love life, he became the completely shy deputy who had first asked her out all those years ago. "Her name's Emily." He finally replied when he realized she wasn't going to leave if she didn't get some answers.

"Mmm hmm," she said thoughtfully, "and her last name?"

Leo shook his head, "I think we'll keep that a mystery so you don't go and dig up dirt on her before tonight. It's a little late for me to find a new date." He gave her a determined smile.

"Okay, fine." She studied him for a few more seconds, "Well what does this mysterious Emily do?"

He hesitated for a second, and then must have decided telling her that much wouldn't be too risky. "She's a pediatric nurse that I met when I was down at Neptune Memorial Hospital getting information on a case. But no digging, Veronica."

Veronica smiled happily at him, "Well I can't wait to meet her tonight," she said as she turned to go to her own office.

She spent her morning looking through the jewelry case files without uncovering any new breaks in the case yet. She knew Logan had a lunch meeting, so she spent her lunch hour visiting Monique's shop to pick out a new dress for the evening.

"Veronica!" Monique said happily as she entered the shop. "It's so nice to see you again. Logan called this morning to let me know you'd be stopping by. I actually have a dress I've been saving for you since it arrived. When I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for you and it was in your size too. Wait here, while I go to the back and get it for you."

Monique returned a few minutes later with a beautiful emerald green gown. It had a halter top, leaving the back and shoulders exposed, with a gorgeous intricate waistband. The waistband was embellished with clear crystal beads that caught the light perfectly and almost looked like diamonds. The skirt of the dress was multiple layers of sheer fabric that flared out from the waistband. Veronica's eyes widened when she saw it. "It's absolutely gorgeous, Monique," she gushed as Monique led her to one of the fitting rooms to try it on.

Veronica slipped into the dress, which fit her perfectly and really accentuated her figure. She came out to show it to Monique, who smiled proudly as she saw how amazing it looked on her. "I knew that would be just perfect for you," she said happily. "Did you want to try on others too, or do you think this is the one?"

Veronica gave her a large smile, "I can't imagine one I'd like better than this. You really are just wonderful at picking dresses out for me. I also loved the one you sent for me to wear on Catalina."

Monique smiled and nodded. "I'm happy to hear that too. Oh and I think we also just received a shipment of new shoes that would go very well with the dress if you don't already have something." Veronica gave her an interested look, and Monique asked for her shoe size, and then went to the back of the shop again, returning a few minutes later with a shoe box. The shoes were strappy high heels that were in a shade that almost made them look like crystal, just like the embellishment around the waist. Veronica spun in front of the mirror with the shoes and the dress and smiled giddily. Monique also had a wrap that she said would go well with the dress for her to wear outside so she wouldn't be too cold.

Later at home, Veronica was about finished getting ready to go out for dinner before they went to the art exhibit when she finally heard Logan come into the house. He'd called a bit earlier and said he was running late, but they'd still have time to go out to dinner before the event. She was just finishing up her makeup when he came in the bedroom door. He froze in his tracks as she turned to look at him in the dress, with her hair pulled up in a formal up-do and her make up perfectly applied.

"Wow," was all he was able to say as his jaw dropped open.

She spun around for him and smiled blissfully at him. "Do you like it?"

He nodded and walked closer and gently placed a kiss on the side of her head close to her ear, being careful not to mess up her hair or her makeup. There was a full length mirror near the walk in closet and he took her hand and walked her over to it, standing behind her looking at her in the reflection.

"I think it's just missing one thing," he said with a smile. She gave him a confused look, and he opened his jacket pocket and pulled out a box. Her eyes grew large, as she watched him in the reflection. He took out a stunning emerald and diamond necklace and placed it around her neck. "Now it's perfect," he said as he hooked the necklace on for her.

"Logan!" She blurted out with a slightly panicked expression on her face. "This is way too much. You shouldn't have bought this. I told you last night, I was just asking about jewelry for my case."

He smiled and shook his head, "Slow down, Bobcat. I didn't actually buy it. You know how jewelry designers will loan out their work to celebrities for special events? Well I have a jeweler friend who is just letting us use it for tonight. Unless you really love it, then I'd be more than happy to buy it for you."

She calmed down and smiled again, running her fingers over the sparkling gemstones. "It really is beautiful. And it matches my dress perfectly too." Logan smiled a bit sheepishly at that and she quickly caught on, "You called Monique to see what color my dress was didn't you?" He nodded and kissed her neck. He took advantage of the open back design and placed several kisses down her spine as well.

"You'd better stop that, or we'll miss our dinner reservation," she scolded as she spun around. "I promise you can do whatever you like when we get home tonight."

"I'm going to remember that," he replied as he gave her a leering look.

She paused for a moment and then looked at him again with a concerned expression. "I'm sure the necklace is probably worth almost as much as the new Benz isn't it?" He shrugged at her, but shook his head a little. "What if something happens to it while we're borrowing it?"

He gave her a comforting smile, "They have insurance policies to cover that too. So there really isn't anything to worry about." He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead, and then went to the closet to change into a nicer suit to wear to dinner.

After an absolutely delicious dinner at a fancy new Italian restaurant, they headed to Hearst. The art exhibit was in a different part of campus than the play had been, but the college still had valet service set up for all their distinguished guests. Logan reluctantly handed the keys to the Benz to the valet, and then walked around and opened the door for Veronica. She gave him a sympathetic smile, and patted him on the arm. "I'm sure she'll be fine," she gently whispered to him, as if talking about an actual child. He glared at her for a moment and then smiled as he held his arm out for her to wrap her own arm around.

As they entered the hall that the art exhibit was set up in, they were immediately greeted by one of the art professors. He shook Logan's hand and thanked him for coming. He let him know that they'd like to take a few pictures with him and the Dean a bit later and then gestured to where he should return to for the pictures. Veronica spotted Leo across the hall and pointed him out to Logan.

They headed across the room to talk to Leo, but right before they reached him, one of the city council men saw Logan and stopped him briefly to talk for a moment. Veronica smiled politely and took a few more steps so she could talk to Leo and meet his date.

"Veronica," Leo said as he spotted her. He gave her a shy look and then added, "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thanks Leo," Veronica replied and turned toward his date with a friendly smile. "Hi I'm Veronica Mars," she said holding her hand out to Emily.

"Hi, I'm Emily Talbot." Emily said politely and shook Veronica's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Leo's mentioned you and how excited he was to have you join his department."

"Thanks, it's nice to meet you too. Leo told me you're a pediatric nurse?"

Emily gave Leo a sweet smile and nodded. She placed her hand gently on his arm in a very affectionate way. "Yes, I just love working with children. Sometimes it can be heartbreaking to see them in pain or struggling, but I always do my best to make it as comfortable for them as I can. It's so refreshing when you get the chance to see the world through their eyes." She looked warmly at Leo again, "Leo's come by and volunteered to help in the children's ward too, reading stories and playing games with them when he can. He's quite a natural with them."

Leo smiled and tipped his head down, looking slightly embarrassed by the praise.

Veronica couldn't help but smile at the two of them and think how perfect of a pair they seemed to make.

Logan finished talking and turned around to the others. Veronica noticed the moment his eyes landed on Emily, "Leo," he started to say with a nod of his head, then he noticed the woman by Leo's side, "Em.. ily?"

"Do you two know each other?" Leo asked with a curious look on his face.

Logan nodded, "Yeah, we're old acquaintances."

"Nice to see you again, Logan," Emily said politely and moved a little closer to Leo. Leo put his hand around her waist and looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment.

Veronica studied Emily even more closely now. Not only was she incredibly polite and kind, but she was quite striking with beautiful strawberry blond hair and light green eyes. _Old acquaintances_, Veronica thought to her self, _obviously that was Logan not wanting to make it awkward by admitting he'd dated the woman Leo was there with_. The next thought that came to her mind was that Emily seemed to be the complete opposite of Kennedy. _Strawberry blond versus fiery red hair. Sweet versus completely psychotic. Says nice things about children versus throwing out catty comments._

"We're going to keep walking around and looking at the exhibits," Leo said with a friendly smile, "Maybe we'll catch up with you later."

Logan nodded and gave Leo a quick hand shake as they continued on to another part of the hall. Veronica glanced at Logan with a raised brow. He sighed and smiled cautiously at her.

"Emily seems very nice," Veronica said watching his reaction. Logan nodded. "How long did you two date?"

His expression changed to a grim smile. "About two months." Veronica nodded. She wasn't sure if she was relieved he'd dated someone as sweet as Emily seemed to be given the personalities of Alexis and Kennedy, or if that made her feel a little jealous. He'd been honest with her though and had admitted he'd dated other women after Alexis, and she knew it wasn't really fair to hold anything that happened in the time she was away against him. Honestly though, she actually didn't feel all that jealous of Emily. Even though she'd just met her, she seemed a much better match for Leo than she could have imagined she would have been for Logan and she couldn't imagine someone that sweet ever trying to cause problems for an ex, unlike the other two women.

"Ready to go look at the exhibits?" Veronica asked with an understanding smile. She reached her hand out for him to take. He nodded and took her hand, lifting it up to his lips and kissed it softly. She gave him a loving look as she watched his warm lips press against the skin on the back of her hand. As he moved her hand back down, she intertwined their fingers together and they started walking around the exhibit hall.

They started in an area of sculptures and were about to move on to the photography section when they ran into Alexis and Casey. Veronica was surprised to see Alexis with Casey again, since she'd been with Tommy on Halloween just a little over a week before and they had seemed quite cozy together. Although given the way Alexis seemed to have control over men, she realized she probably shouldn't be all that surprised.

"Veronica," Casey said with a friendly smile, "You look beautiful tonight." He gave her a quick hug, and then shook Logan's hand. "Great to see you again too, Logan."

"Thanks, Casey," Veronica replied as she took Logan's hand again.

"That really is an amazing dress," Alexis added, giving Veronica a polite smile. She'd moved back to wrap her arm almost possessively around Casey after he was done hugging Veronica. "Are you two enjoying the show? There are a lot of really nice exhibits this year."

Logan and Veronica nodded in unison.

"You two are coming to Growlers on Saturday night for Alexis's birthday celebration, right?" Casey asked looking between the two of them.

"Vanessa's coming over from Catalina with Tyler, and I know she'd really like to see both of you again. We just decided earlier today to go do that on Saturday, and I didn't get a chance to ask Logan about it yet," Alexis added with the same polite expression.

Logan looked at Veronica to see what she was thinking about the invitation. Veronica shrugged and nodded a bit unsure. "It would be nice to see Vanessa, and meet Tyler," she replied giving Logan a knowing look. She knew he was still worried about whether Tyler was mistreating Vanessa at all and seeing them together in person might be good. They hadn't yet planned another trip out to Catalina to check on them.

"We'll try to make it," Logan answered.

"You'd better," Alexis replied with a friendly little wink.

One of the professor's assistants walked up to them and asked Logan and Alexis if they were free to take a couple pictures with the Dean since he'd finally arrived. Logan gave Veronica a questioning glance, to which she nodded and smiled. Logan and Alexis followed the assistant, leaving Casey and Veronica alone.

Veronica still wasn't terribly trusting of Alexis and really didn't want to see her hurt Casey. Even though she knew she probably shouldn't butt in, she just couldn't help herself, she hadn't changed that much in the last eight years. "I must say I was a little surprised to see you here with Alexis tonight," Veronica said as Casey handed her a glass of champagne from a tray that a waiter was carrying by.

Casey gave her a suspicious look. "Ah, because you saw her out with Tommy on Halloween?" Veronica smirked and nodded. At least Casey was well aware of whatever games Alexis might be up to. "I told you before, I'm not naïve Veronica. You really don't need to worry about me, though I appreciate that you are." He gave her a little wink. "I'm more her choice for high society events. I don't think Tommy would fit in so well at a College Art show, do you?"

She chuckled lightly and shrugged. "I suppose not."

"I can understand why you aren't a big fan of Alexis's, but I enjoy spending time with her and I can take care of myself, okay?" His tone and expression remained friendly even if he was more or less trying to tell her to mind her own business.

She nodded and smiled at him. They decided to walk around and look at the photography exhibits while they waited on the other two. Most of the exhibits were all from this year's students, but there was one wall that had top prize-winning exhibits from alumni from other classes as well. There was a black and white photograph that caught Veronica's eye and she went over to look at it more closely. It was taken from the vantage point of someone who was lying on a rope hammock with someone else, as you could see two pairs of feet slightly intertwined together on the hammock, and then in the background was a tropical setting, with waves breaking against the shore and palm trees. The moon was low in the sky, most likely it was evening before the sun set and so there was enough light to capture all of the details, as well as the very full moon rising above the horizon. Veronica glanced at the name of the alumni, and felt a sinking feeling spread through her when she realized it was an A. Calloway. As she stood there looking at it, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and a pair of lips kiss her lightly on her shoulder.

"Hey there, what's a gorgeous woman like you doing all alone over here?" Logan whispered in a sensuous tone into her ear.

She sighed and leaned into him, "Well my date left me unattended, so I suppose I've just been waiting for someone else to come along."

"Mmmmm…" he mumbled softly against her neck, "must be my lucky night then." He placed another kiss on her neck right below her ear. She closed her eyes as his warm lips came in contact with her skin sending a warm sensation through her entire body, and for a moment she forgot about the photo she'd just started obsessing over.

She turned in his arms so she could face him and opened her eyes and smiled lovingly at him. "Hey there," she said in a shy voice.

"Hey there" he replied back lovingly "So what were you looking so intently at?" Logan asked as he turned his gaze back toward the wall. She heard him take a deep breath and then he looked back at her, studying her face to see what she was thinking.

"I didn't realize they still had any of her photographs on display." He said with an apologetic look.

Veronica shrugged and gave him a small smile. Of course Casey and Alexis had also wandered back to them just then. "Ah, Tahiti," Alexis said as she gazed at her photo. "Have you ever been there Casey?"

"No, I've been to Fiji before, but not Tahiti." Casey replied with a smile. "That's a very nice photo Alexis." He glanced briefly at Logan and then back at the photo. "Good surfing there?" he asked as he turned back to Alexis.

"The good surf spots were definitely difficult to get to there. We did find some good waves, but I think we spent more time doing other non-surfing activities. The views were exceptional though." Alexis glanced at her picture then back at Logan for a moment before turning back to Casey. "How was Fiji? I think we'd talked about a trip there, but never did go."

Casey had a genuine smile on his face as he described the other island. "I loved Fiji. The surfing there was fabulous, and the resort I stayed at was amazing. Have you heard of Matanivusi Resort?" It was hard to miss the look Logan and Alexis shared, though they quickly looked back at Casey.

"That's the resort that's touted for being eco-friendly right?" Logan asked, joining in the conversation for the first time since the other two had walked up.

Casey nodded. "It's just gorgeous there, well if you're looking for 5-star spa service, then it's not that, but if you're looking for something secluded and beautiful, surrounded by the jungle with magnificent views of the water and surfing nearby, then it's perfect."

"We should plan a trip there," Alexis said to Casey as she ran her hand down his chest and pushed her body closer to his, "We could make a long weekend and fly down in your plane."

Casey smiled and nodded, "That would be great, I'll check with my assistant and figure out if there's some time that would work for the two of us to go." He suddenly seemed to feel a bit awkward discussing their plans in front of Logan and Veronica. "Of course if you two would like to join us, that would be cool too."

Alexis looked at Logan and Veronica with amusement, definitely doubting they'd agree to go on a couple's vacation with her and Casey. "Yes, that could be fun if you two want to come along with us," she added, with a satisfied smirk.

Logan took a deep breath and answered before Veronica even had a chance to react, "That's thoughtful of you Casey, but I think we'll pass." Alexis kept the smirk and nodded.

Leo and Emily happened to walk by and stopped to greet the group. Veronica couldn't help but notice the look that Alexis and Emily exchanged. It certainly would not have qualified as friendly. She wondered for a moment if she was going to witness a repeat of the Kennedy versus Alexis face-off, but neither woman said anything. Logan had quickly introduced Leo and Emily to Casey, since they hadn't met previously.

"I'm surprised to see you back in Neptune," Alexis finally said an icy tone to Emily, "I thought you'd been transferred to a hospital in San Diego?"

Emily seemed to force the pleasant smile she'd worn before back on her face before she answered. "I transferred back to Neptune Memorial Hospital a few months ago."

Alexis smiled almost maliciously. Her voice to on a mischievous tone. "Well we make quite the interesting group don't we?"

Logan shot her a warning look. He knew that look and tone too well. "Don't start Alexis."

She gave him a smug grin and shrugged. "What, I was just curious. Since Logan's dated all 3 of the women here, and Emily and I have each dated two of the men, I was just wondering how many Veronica's also dated."

"I think that's our cue to go," Casey said, wrapping his arm around Alexis's waist and escorting her back toward the sculpture portion of the exhibit. He gave Veronica a quick apologetic look as he walked by.

The other four stood there a bit awkwardly for a moment, until Logan spotted someone of interest across the room. "If you'll excuse us, there's someone I wanted to introduce Veronica to." Leo and Emily smiled and said a quick good bye, likely thankful for a reason to leave, and walked off in the opposite direction that Casey and Alexis had gone.

Veronica gave him a questioning look as they started to walk.

"I thought you might want to meet Grant Whitman for your case?" Logan said to answer the look she was giving him. She smiled and nodded and he put his arm around her, pulling her a little closer to his side and started leading her across the room. "I'm also sorry about Alexis," he whispered as they walked. She shrugged and gave him an understanding smile back.

_While it was a terribly bitchy thing to say out loud, it wasn't actually untrue_, Veronica thought to herself as they walked across the room. _We certainly were an incestuous little group there._

Grant was probably in his early fifty's, though he definitely had a youthful aura about him. He was there with his wife, Tiffany, who of course was adorned in a set of very expensive looking jewelry. She may have only been slightly younger than he was, but still had the appearance of being a trophy wife.

"Mayor Echolls," Grant called out as Logan approached him and held out his hand for him to shake. "So nice to see you again. You remember my wife Tiffany right?" The blond woman on his arm smiled broadly at Logan, as he nodded.

"This is my girlfriend, Veronica Mars." He said introducing her to the other couple.

Grant seemed to be trying to place her once he heard the name. "Any relation to Keith Mars?" he finally asked once he seemed to connect the last name to someone he knew. Veronica nodded with a friendly smile on her face. "Great guy, he's helped me on a few insurance fraud cases in the last couple of years."

"Thanks, I agree he's a pretty great guy." Veronica said with a proud smile, "I'm actually working for the Sheriff's department now. I just started to investigate the recent rash of jewelry thefts that have been occurring the last few weeks in the 09 zip code." She watched him carefully to see how he reacted to that piece of information. She didn't catch anything unusual in his demeanor.

"I certainly hope you're able to make some headway on that soon." He shook his head in an obvious show of disgust. "Those thefts have cost my insurance company quite a bit lately."

Veronica nodded in agreement, "I hope so too, Mr. Whitman."

"Please call me Grant," he replied with a friendlier smile. "Lovely necklace you have on tonight. Looks like one of Sylvia's?" He looked at Logan for confirmation. Logan nodded. "Her designs are so unique and beautiful. I don't recall seeing a new policy come through for you though?" he continued with a questioning expression.

"We're just borrowing it for the night," Logan replied with a knowing smile. "Sylvia said it was already insured for being loaned out for events."

Grant nodded in return. "Most of her collection is." He turned back to Veronica. "It really is stunning on you. If you decide to purchase it, be sure to give me a call to write up a policy for you."

Logan smiled and nodded, "Of course."

Tiffany must have either become bored of the insurance talk, or actually did see someone across the room she wanted to talk to, because she leaned in and whispered something to Grant, and they politely excused themselves and headed across the room.

"So any of your spidey senses going off?" Logan asked with a curious smile.

_Not about my case_, Veronica thought to herself, still thinking about Logan and Alexis's reaction to the name of the resort that Casey mentioned. _But of course that's not what he's referring to_.

She smiled and shrugged, "I didn't sense any unusual reaction when I mentioned the case and he seemed sincere in wanting the guilty party to be apprehended." She looked more intently at him thinking to herself, _y__our reaction to the resort in Fiji was much more noticeable_. Not that she actually wanted to go to Fiji with Casey and Alexis, but she was also surprised that he didn't even glance at her before announcing they wouldn't be joining them on a trip there. _Focus on the case, not Fiji, Veronica_. She smiled warmly at him, before speaking again. "Thanks for introducing me."

He smiled and nodded and they spent about another hour walking around the exhibit together discussing the different photographs and paintings. Luckily they didn't run into Casey and Alexis again. They finally decided they'd been there long enough and had seen everything, so they went to retrieve the Benz from the valet. Of course Logan walked around the entire of car after opening Veronica's door and before getting in himself, to be sure there weren't any scratches or dings. Veronica gave him a teasing grin as he finally climbed back into the car.

They'd been in the car for about five minutes driving in silence, before he finally spoke up. "Thanks for coming tonight."

"Of course," She replied softly.

They sat silently for a few more minutes, "So Matanivusi?" she asked finally.

He sighed and she thought his hands may have gripped the wheel a bit tighter, but in the dark it was hard to tell. "We were supposed to go there for our honeymoon." He said grimly with his eyes staring straight ahead on the road.

_Ouch_, Veronica thought to herself, _I expected it to be just a cancelled trip, not THAT cancelled trip_. She took a deep breath, "I'm sorry." They hadn't really talked at all about how far they'd gotten with planning their wedding or anything that specific about their engagement. She hadn't really had a desire to know that much detail about him almost marrying someone else.

He shrugged and still didn't glance in her direction, "You didn't know."

_But Alexis must have known, and she didn't hesitate to suggest her and Casey should go there_. _And on top of that, she had such a smug little grin when Casey invited us along too. Could she be a bigger bitch? Poor Logan._

"I could have just let it go though," Veronica said in a gentle voice, "I didn't need to bring it up just now, so for that I'm sorry."

He finally glanced at her for a moment and a small smile formed on his lips. He reached over and placed his hand on her leg and she covered it with her own hand, drawing little soothing patterns on the back of it with her thumb.

"Thanks Veronica," He said quietly, "I know with your undying curiosity it's hard to just let things go though, and I'm really okay with that. I told you before that I'll be open and honest about anything you want to know, and I really meant it."

"Did you want to talk any more about it?" she asked gently as she continued to rub her fingers along the back of his hand.

"No," He said with a little sigh. He glanced at her for a moment and then gave her a loving smile. "Hypothetically, if we were ever to get married, where would you want to go on our honeymoon."

_While that may be a nice way to replace those bad memories with good ones, that's still a bit of a panic inducing question for him to ask me. _She took a deep breath and didn't answer right away.

"Just hypothetically Veronica," He said in a comforting voice when he felt her hand still that had been gently rubbing his own. "We can do hypothetical can't we?"

"Yeah of course," she replied in what she hoped didn't sound like a terrified voice. "I don't know," she glanced out the window at the lights of the buildings they were driving by.

"I was just curious if there was someplace you'd really like to visit, that's all. It wouldn't have to be for a honeymoon." He added, sensing how uncomfortable she had become with her body language and tone. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

"No, it's fine," she said as she turned back to watch him. A blissful smile crossed her face as he turned and looked lovingly at her again. It was one of those deep soulful looks that took her breath away and made her want to be better at being open with him. "I'd actually really like to go to Scotland some day. I think it would be amazing to visit some of the gorgeous castles and abbeys. Have you ever visited Scotland?"

He gave her a quick look and a grin, "I think you probably know I haven't Veronica."

She gave him a slightly guilty smile. "How'd you know that?"

He chuckled softly, "I noticed my passport had been moved a little bit in my desk. I figured you probably took a look at it. Which is totally fine, by the way. I told you no secrets, anything you want to know. I'm an open book and I told you there wasn't anything I was going to hide from you either."

She picked his hand up from her lap and kissed it softly before setting it back on her leg and squeezing it tightly. "I'm really rusty with my stealthy snooping skills, aren't I?"

"You don't need to be stealthy with me," he replied in a calm tone as he smiled at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the road.

They drove the rest of the way home in a comfortable silence. Logan drove the Benz into the garage when they got home, and they headed into the house. "You really do look absolutely amazing tonight," he said as he wrapped his hands around her waist as she walked down the hallway to the kitchen, placing a warm kiss on her shoulder.

"I owe most of that to you," she said with a loving smile as she turned in his arms to face him. He gave her a puzzled expression. "The dress and the necklace," she said when she saw that he didn't know what she was talking about.

He smiled lasciviously at her, "I'm pretty sure you'd look just as amazing if you didn't have those on."

"Hmmm," she said with an exaggerated thoughtful look on her face. "Perhaps for research purposes we should go upstairs and see if your hypothesis holds true."

He smiled lustfully back at her, "Who can say no to research." He kissed her deeply, and then pulled his head back slightly. "I'd hate to stand in the way of scientific advancement."

After turning on the security system, he followed her up the stairs to their room. She'd already taken the heels off and he gave her a scolding look.

"I think for research purposes, I should be the one who gets to decide what things you take off and in what order," he said with a lascivious smile. "Put the heels back on."

She raised her eyebrow in a questioning look but did as he said. He went over and sat on one of the chaise lounge chairs and motioned for her to come and stand in front of him. He'd taken his jacket and tie off on his way up the stairs and set them on the other end of the chair. He studied her carefully for a moment, and then seemed to have made his choice. "Dress off first." He said in a low deep tone. She turned so he could help with the zipper and the button that was on the halter strap. Her skin tingled as he ran his warm fingers almost teasingly across the skin of her back. She carefully stepped out of the dress as it fell around her ankles and gave him a seductive smile.

He took a deep breath as the dress fell away, revealing a matching emerald green lacy thong and nothing else. She raised her eyebrow at him, "Well?" she asked in a sexy tone, "more amazing with or without the dress?" His eyes gazed over her. She still had her hair up in the sexy up-do, though a few of the strands had started to fall, and was standing in front of him topless, with the emerald and diamond necklace, dark green lace thong and high heels.

"Mmmm," he moaned as he looked at her and ran his tongue across his bottom lip. "I think I need to see you from all angles to decide." She smiled mischievously at him, and then spun slowly around. He stood up from the chaise, pressing his body up against her, "Definitely sexier now."

He walked her backwards toward the bed. Once they reached it, he picked her up and spun slowly so he could pull her down on top of him, then rolled them so she was on the bottom. She moaned beneath him as his mouth closed over her right breast and he ran a hand up one of her thighs. He moved his mouth to the other side, and then shifted up higher so he could kiss her deeply.

"Necklace next," he whispered against her neck as he kissed her tenderly and reached back to carefully undo the clasp. Once it was off, he carefully laid it on the table next to the bed and gazed over her body.

She raised her eyes in question and he'd almost forgotten their little game of research as he started to get consumed by the passion of her being in only a thong and high heels stretched out on their bed for him. "Even sexier now," he said in a low growl. She could see his eyes getting darker with lust the more he watched her. He crawled back on top of her and kissed her deeply again.

"You have way too many clothes on, Mayor Echolls," she said in a seductive tone as she reached to start undoing his shirt. Soon she had him completely naked. She looked questioningly at him and then down to her heels.

He ran his mouth down her inner thigh, licking her soft warm skin with his tongue as he went. He scooted down to the end of the bed, and carefully removed each of her shoes, then slowly crawled back up, continuing to kiss and run his tongue over her legs and stomach. He kissed her passionately again on the lips, and then finally removed the green thong.

"I was right," he said a bit breathlessly against her mouth. She smiled and ran her fingers lovingly through his hair. "You're most amazing in nothing at all," he said before he pressed his lips to hers again.


	3. Chapter 3 - Stolen Tiaras

**A/N - This chapter is a bit more focused on the jewelry case, with a little bit of LoVe discussion at the beginning. It's not a super exciting chapter, but there has to be some stuff on the case she's working on too.**

**Please let me know what you think of it. Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed so far!**

**Disclaimer: Only borrowing these wonderful characters from Rob Thomas. I sadly own nothing, but wish I did.**

Chapter 3 – Stolen Tiaras

After they took a shower together in the morning, a ritual they seemed to have started on most days during the last two weeks, Veronica stopped to look at the emerald necklace on her way to the closet to get dressed for the day. Logan stopped in the doorway from the bathroom and leaned against the frame watching her look at it. He had one towel wrapped around his waist and had a second one in his hand rubbing his hair dry as he stood there silently observing her.

"We really can keep it if you want," he said in a low voice after a few minutes of silence. He was still just leaning against the door frame, gazing at her lovingly, but had stopped messing with his hair and tossed the other towel back at the hamper.

She turned and smiled, and walked back over to him, placing her hands on his slightly damp chest. "It is beautiful, but I really don't think I'll have that many opportunities to wear it. I do appreciate the offer though." She leaned up on her tip toes and placed a tender kiss on his lips. When she stood back down, he brushed some of her wet strands of hair back away from her face and kissed her softly on the forehead.

"If you're sure, then I'll take it back to Sylvia today. We can always borrow something else for the next fancy event we go to." Logan replied with an adoring smile on his face. "But if there are any you fall in love with, promise me you'll let me know. Her pieces are very popular and tend to sell rather quickly, so if there's something you like there's no guarantee it would be there the next time we were to borrow one."

"They must be popular. I think several of the ones stolen were done by her actually." Veronica commented as she walked back toward the closet. "Definitely a higher percentage than some of the other jewelers on the list."

"Given how special her work is, I really do hope you catch the thief." Logan said as he also headed toward the closet to get dressed. Veronica nodded in agreement.

She tried not to ogle him as he was getting dressed in his business suit for the day. Even though she'd been living there for a little over two weeks, it still seemed surreal to her to watch him put on a suit every morning for work. She never imagined he'd end up with the type of career that he'd have to dress in a suit for. Of course his suits weren't the cheap kind, but it still wasn't something she had ever envisioned all those years ago.

"So have you ever thought about passing an ordinance that would make it so you didn't have to get all dressed up to be the Mayor?" She asked, mostly just joking as he headed back to the bathroom to fix his hair.

He gave her a quick puzzled look and cocked his head slightly to one side, "Are you trying to tell me you don't like my business look?"

She laughed a soft sultry laugh, "Well I do prefer you in nothing at all, but no, I do like your business look too. I just wondered if you actually do?"

He smiled back and nodded as he worked on his hair, "Yeah, I don't know. You know what they say, the clothes make the man or dress for success or whatever." He shrugged and continued, "It was sort of the same thing as the facial hair. I wanted people to take me seriously as the Mayor and dressing in anything other than an appropriate business suit just seemed unlikely for that to happen."

Veronica smiled proudly at him, "I really am impressed by how seriously you take your job."

His expression changed to be a bit embarrassed by her compliment and he ducked his head slightly, then looked back up at her with a shy grin. "Thanks, that means a lot to me." He walked closer to her and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, and then held out his hand to lead her downstairs for breakfast.

On their way down the stairs he smiled deviously at her, "I'm more than happy to run around here naked though if that would make you happy." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. He chuckled softly, and then went into the kitchen to make them some breakfast.

A short while later, they were sitting at the counter eating the scrambled eggs, toast and bacon that they'd made for breakfast. As she stole another piece of bacon off his plate, Veronica could tell that there was something on his mind. He had that hesitant look, like he wanted to say something, but wasn't quite sure how to approach it. _How much longer should I let him suffer before I finally just ask what he's afraid of saying?_ She took another bite of her scrambled eggs and tried to act natural, but his nervousness was starting to get to her a bit. _'__Finally!__'_ she cheered internally when at last he did open his mouth and words actually came out.

"We don't have to go to Growlers Saturday night." He said looking at her with a hint of trepidation.

_Of course, it would be an Alexis topic that was causing him to act so skittish_. She gave him a compassionate expression. While she really didn't have a desire to spend any more time with Alexis than absolutely necessary, she knew it would be good for them to see how Vanessa was doing. She finished chewing and swallowed the piece of bacon she'd popped into her mouth right as he'd finally spoken. "I don't mind. I know you've been worried about Vanessa, so it will be good to see her, especially with Tyler. It's a big club, with lots of people and loud music. I'm not that worried about it," Veronica said in what she hoped sounded like a nonchalant tone before taking another drink of her coffee. _There's no way in hell I'm bringing her a birthday present though_, she thought dryly to herself.

Logan sighed and looked down at his almost empty plate, pushing around a few remaining pieces of eggs with his fork. "I just feel bad that you have to spend time around her again so soon, especially after her rude comment last night."

"Hey, it didn't really bother me," she said with a reassuring smile. She reached over and put her hand on his that had been absentmindedly moving around the eggs. He stopped moving his hand and looked up into her eyes searching to see if she was telling the truth or just trying to mollify him. _I've dealt with much worse in high school, but given some of those things were your fault, I definitely don't want to go there. _He didn't seem convinced, so she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'm a bobcat remember, way tougher than I might look." She gave him a little wink and fierce little growl.

He chuckled when she growled. "Yes you are," he said lovingly as he returned the kiss with a gentle one on her lips. "My Bobcat."

She smiled lovingly in return and for a moment wished they could head back upstairs so she could show him just how frisky of a bobcat she could be. But unfortunately, they both needed to be responsible adults and go do the adult thing and actually show up for work on time. She knew he had a morning meeting that he needed to be at and she didn't want to cause him to be late for that. She had a bit more flexibility with her schedule at least, given she was just consulting for the Sheriff's Office and not a normal deputy with a set work shift. Her salary was set for the hours she worked on cases, similar to when she was a P.I., and she really appreciated that aspect of the job.

"So I take it Emily was one of the girls you dated that didn't stick around long after Alexis met her?" Veronica asked with a bit of curiousity in her voice.

His expression turned thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, I guess so, maybe." He paused then continued on. "Though we mostly stopped seeing each other because she had to transfer to a hospital in San Diego, and we weren't serious enough to try to make a long distance thing work. I know San Diego isn't really that far though, but she didn't think it would be that great of an idea to keep seeing each other. Something about being too busy getting settled in a new city with a new job and that it was better if we just said good bye as friends." He shrugged before he continued with almost an embarrassed expression, "She was super sweet, which I guess has never really worked out for me."

"Hey, I'm super sweet," Veronica protested playfully.

"Yeah, you're a super sweet bobcat," he replied with a mischevious look on his face. His tone became very sarcastic as he added,"Spreading sunshine and rainbows where ever you go."

"Don't forget, plays well with others," she said in a sultry tone as she climbed out of her chair and squeezed between his knees. They were sitting at the breakfast counter on bar stools, so their height difference was balanced a bit more in their current position.

"I do like it when you play well with me," he said in a husky voice as he moved his mouth down toward her shoulder and started placing kisses along her neck. His hands went down to her hips and he pulled her even closer. She tipped her head to give him better access to her neck and moaned softly. She let out a frustrated little sigh as she heard his phone alarm go off. He also sighed for a moment and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You need to go, so you're not late," she said in a somewhat dissapointed tone. "Don't want the Mayor to get a bad rep now, do you? I'll take care of the breakfast dishes."

He lifted his head up and gave her one of his deep stares, and then leaned in and kissed her deeply. "I love you Veronica," he said in a low voice.

"I know you do," she said softly back, "I love you too." She gave him a wicked smile and changed her tone to be more bossy, "Now get that handsome ass out of here before I lure you back upstairs and get you in trouble with Felicia." He chuckled and gave her another quick kiss on the tip of her nose before heading toward the garage with a quick good bye.

When Veronica walked into the station later that morning, Norris was manning the front desk. "Good morning Veronica," he said as she walked in. "Leo wanted to talk to you when you got in."

Veronica thanked him and headed into Leo's office. "Good morning Sheriff," Veronica said in an almost teasing tone. Leo gave her a warm smile. She smiled warily back at him before she continued. "Hey, I'm sorry about last night." She flopped down in one of the two chairs across from his desk. "Alexis really doesn't like me and I'm sorry that you and Emily may have been caught in the cross fire a bit."

Leo laughed lightly. "Yeah, I'd say Alexis tends to not like anyone Logan is dating... or had dated either." He paused a moment. "I didn't realize he'd dated Emily since that was before he and I became good friends. But it was a while ago, so it's not a big deal for me at least." He smiled a bit mischievously and added, "Plus I dated you before he did, so it's only fair for the tables to be turned." Veronica chuckled and nodded. Leo smiled then continued, "I actually wanted to see if it would be okay if I brought Emily to poker tomorrow night at Dick's. If that would be too awkward though, I understand."

Veronica laughed a bit louder, "When have I ever shied away from awkward?" He smiled knowingly back as she continued. "I'll give Logan a heads up too. Was that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

Leo shook his head, "Actually no. We got another jewelry theft call last night and I was going to send you and Deputy Clayton over to talk with the victim. We were short on staff last night due to a large accident on the PCH, so said we'd send a deputy out this morning since there wasn't an urgent reason to get over there. It sounds like exactly the same M.O. as the others."

A short while later Veronica and Norris were pulling up at an 09er residence that was only a few streets over from where the Kane's had lived when they were growing up. As they'd gotten closer, Veronica started to feel a bit of anxiety creep up. She breathed a silent sigh of relief as they turned before they reached the street that she used to consider her second home sometimes. The grounds at the Taylor's house were meticulously maintained and the walk from the driveway to the front door was along an intricate stone path.

Norris rang the doorbell and they stood waiting. Veronica expected the door to be opened by a maid or a butler given the neighborhood, so she was surprised when a woman in her early thirties opened the door and confirmed to them that she was Mrs. Jessica Taylor. She invited them inside once they introduced themselves and gestured to a living room located right off the foyer. As they sat down, a little blond boy ran in from the adjoining room and flopped his torso down on the couch next to Mrs. Taylor and with a disgruntled look on his face demanded to go to the park. Veronica estimated he was probably about five years old.

"I told you this morning at breakfast that Stephanie will be here later to take you and Julia to the park. Mommy needs to talk to these nice people from the Sheriff's office now, so please go back in the other room and play with your sister." Veronica found it interesting how she talked in a much different tone to her son than when she was talking to them. She'd often wondered if she'd do that as a mother as well, since she'd noticed other mom's doing it. She never noticed herself doing that though when she'd talked to Dillon's nieces and nephews. Although she had used so many various voices and accents through out the years, she could totally imagine herself talking in strange voices to her own kid, but not the overly sweet mommy talk.

The little boy scowled at Veronica and Norris, as if it was their fault he couldn't go to the park. He started to head back to the other room, and then must have noticed the gun on Norris's belt. His eyes grew big and he changed course to head toward Norris.

"Jacob!" Mrs. Taylor scolded. She could obviously see what had caught the little boy's attention. "Please go back to the other room."

He gave his mom a slightly angry glare, then turned and headed back to his designated room.

"Sorry about that," Mrs. Taylor said apologetically. Veronica and Norris smiled and assured her it was fine.

Veronica had asked if she had a picture of the stolen necklace and Mrs. Taylor handed her a folder from the table in front of the couch with the insurance paper work, including a picture of the necklace. The necklace was a combination of rubies and diamonds set in white gold.

"Do you have any idea when it may have been stolen?" Veronica asked as she looked through the file. _No surprise, another Grant Whitman policy._

"I wore it last month when we went out for our anniversary dinner on the 10th, but after that I'm not sure when it may have gone missing. The case we keep it in was still in the safe so we didn't realize it was gone until I went to put it on last night to go to an art exhibit at Hearst."

Veronica gave her a curious look trying to remember if she'd seen her the night before at Hearst. "Did you enjoy the exhibit?" Veronica asked as she closed the insurance folder.

"Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the exhibit. My husband, James, is a doctor at Neptune Memorial, and he was called in at the last minute for an emergency, so we weren't able to go."

_James, Jessica, Jacob and Julia_, Veronica thought sarcastically to herself, a_t least if Logan and I have kids we don't have the same initials to start with._

Veronica gave her a sympathetic smile, "Can we take a look at the safe?"

Before Mrs. Taylor could answer, a scream came from the other room, followed by the sound of running footsteps as a little blond girl, who looked almost the same age as her brother, hurled herself at Mrs. Taylor's lap. "Mommy!" the little girl screamed, "Jacob took my tiara and won't give it back."

Mrs. Taylor let out a huge sigh and raised her voice slightly, "Jacob, please come in here." The little blond boy returned with his hands behind his back.

"What Mommy?" He asked with a look of pure innocence on his face. Veronica tried her best not to laugh.

"Where is Julia's tiara?" his mother asked, giving an apologetic look to Veronica and Norris.

"I think the jewelry thief must have taken it with your necklace." Jacob answered causally.

"Jacob?" Mrs. Taylor replied giving him a stern scowl, "Give your sister her tiara back, or you won't be going to the park this afternoon with Stephanie."

The little boy sighed and gave his sister a dirty look, and took the tiara out from behind his back. The little girl jumped off her mom's lap and ran toward her brother, taking her tiara back and disappearing back into the other room.

Veronica gave the little boy a suspicious look, "Hmm… maybe Jacob here is our jewelry thief? Maybe we should take him down to the station for questioning? What do you think Deputy Clayton?"

The little boy's eyes popped open wide as he shook his head and quickly ran back into the other room.

Norris tried to suppress a little chuckle, but couldn't silence it entirely. Veronica gave him a mischievous grin.

"I'm so sorry about that," Mrs. Taylor said as she stood from the couch. "Having twins can be exhausting some days. The safe is in the office, if you'd like to follow me."

Mrs. Taylor led them back to the foyer and down a hall to their home office. The safe was on the wall behind the desk, covered by a panel. It was a digital safe that took a combination of 6 numbers. Mrs. Taylor opened the safe after Veronica took a few pictures of it and inspected it for any apparent damage. The empty necklace case was already sitting on the desk, rather than in the safe, but there were other papers and a few other boxes in the safe. Norris pulled out a plastic bag and said they would have the case checked for finger prints or DNA, but so far they hadn't found anything with the other cases. He took that as an opportunity to ask for her prints with his mobile scanner, and said he could stop by the hospital later to get prints from her husband as well.

"Are you sure nothing else was taken?" Veronica asked as she looked carefully at the inside of the safe.

"Yes, we checked the other boxes and my husband is confident that only the necklace was taken."

Veronica thought for a moment about the tiara. "Do the kids know the combination to the safe? Could your daughter have taken it out to play with it and not put it back?"

Mrs. Taylor shook her head. "No the kids don't know the combination. Sometimes my husband keeps his pistol in there and is very strict that the kids not be able to access it. Of course it also has a safety lock, but he doesn't want them handling it at all. If his gun isn't in the safe, he keeps it in a locked case for days he's going to take it to the shooting range. He has it with him today."

Veronica asked her to make a list of anyone who might have access to their home on a regular basis. When Mrs. Taylor was finished, Veronica scanned the names to see if anything looked familiar to the other cases. There weren't many on her list. But she thought she recognized the cleaning service and the yard maintenance that they used as being on a few of the other lists. "How about your nanny? Stephanie was it?" Veronica asked when she didn't see a Stephanie on the list.

"Oh, she just comes to baby sit for us sometimes. There are a couple different high school girls that we use because they tend to book up or have other activities and aren't always available. I guess I wouldn't really think of them as who you were interested in given they are just high school girls."

_It's amazing how much trouble high school kids can actually get into_, Veronica thought to herself as she reflected back on all the cases she took back in high school. She smiled politely at Mrs. Taylor. "It wouldn't hurt to add them to the list." Mrs. Taylor nodded and took the list back and added four names, one being Stephanie Whitman and another being Stacey Davenport. Veronica wondered if Stephanie was related to Grant, and knew the Davenport name seemed familiar as well, but she couldn't immediately place it. Veronica asked if she could take the insurance folder with her and make copies and have them returned later, to which Mrs. Taylor agreed.

"Is Stephanie related to your insurance agent?" Veronica asked as she looked in the folder one more time.

Mrs. Taylor nodded, "Yes, Stephanie is Grant's oldest daughter. She's a wonderful young lady who the kids both adore. They aren't as fond of all their sitters unfortunately."

"And which jeweler did you purchase the necklace from?" Veronica asked since she didn't see it in the paperwork.

"Sylvia Monroe," Mrs. Taylor said with a sad sigh, "I hope she's able to make another one similar to it once we get the insurance all taken care of. Her designs are so spectacular."

Veronica gave her a kind smile and nodded. She promised they'd let her know if they found anything and would also send back an official copy of the police report so they could turn it in for the insurance claim.

Veronica and Norris stopped by the hospital on the way back to the Sheriff's office to get fingerprints from Dr. Taylor. He was one of the doctors that worked in the Emergency Room and the receptionist at the desk said he was currently busy with a patient but she'd let them know as soon as he was free. Veronica had walked around the corner to get a couple of coffees from a kiosk in the lobby when she saw Emily coming in from outside.

"Hi Emily," Veronica called out while she waved at the other woman.

"Veronica!" Emily replied in a cheerful voice. "I didn't expect to see you here today. What brings you down to Neptune General?"

"Deputy Norris and I were waiting to talk with one of the ER Doctors for a case I'm working on." Veronica answered with a friendly smile on her face.

"Our ER doctors are all so nice. I really love being back here. I never really felt quite as happy at the hospital in San Diego." She looked down at the watch on her wrist, "I really should be going since my shift starts soon. Hey, if you have any free time, you should stop by and spend some time with the kids too. I'm sure they'd love to have you read stories or do some arts and crafts with them. We are always looking for volunteers to come in to visit them. It's nice to give the parents a little break too, knowing someone else is there to spend some time with the kids so they can get away from the hospital for a little while. Then of course there are those sad cases, where there aren't any immediate family members to be there for the kids. Those always break my heart, and I'm so happy when we find someone nice to spend some time with them."

"I'll see if I can find some time to do that," Veronica replied with a sincere smile. "It was really nice running into you. Oh, and I apologized to Leo earlier, but also wanted to apologize to you about how Alexis acted last night."

Emily gave her a confused look, "I don't see how Alexis's behavior was really your fault at all." For a brief moment Veronica saw what looked like a flash of anger cross her face, but then it was replaced by a pleasant smile. "She's just not a very nice person. Thank goodness she doesn't come down to volunteer with the kids. Take care and hopefully I'll see you tomorrow night."

Veronica nodded and gave her a little wave before walking back to where Norris was still waiting by the ER. They didn't have to wait too much longer before they were escorted back to see Dr. Taylor. They took his fingerprints and Veronica asked if there was anything else he thought unusual that could help with the case. She also had him look over the list that Mrs. Taylor had given her and he added a few other names of some people she'd forgotten. Besides the additional names, there wasn't much else that Dr. Taylor knew that they hadn't already heard from his wife.

Veronica spent most of her afternoon looking over the jewelry case information again looking for a connection they'd missed before. She had a giant white board in her office, and had made a diagram of which cases had overlaps in possible suspects. She also wanted to figure out why "Davenport" had jumped out at her. She finally discovered that on one of the cases, the jeweler was a Bernard Davenport. She knew she'd seen it somewhere related to the burglaries, so was happy with herself when she finally found it again.

While the connection of the two sitters to other parties related to the case was interesting, she also hadn't seen their names listed in any of the other reports. She also realized that it probably wasn't much of a coincidence that you'd search out sitters from other people you already had relationships with. She still wasn't seeing an obvious connection between all the cases. Since she really only had the notes from the prior deputies' reports, she thought she may need to go back to visit the prior families to see what else she could find.

In addition to revisiting some of the other victims, she also thought it might be good to pay a visit to at least one of the jewelers to see what their thoughts on the robberies might be. Given she wasn't that familiar with expensive jewelry and priceless gems, she wondered if there was an angle she was missing. They'd been keeping an eye on the pawn shops in Neptune and nothing had turned up yet. Perhaps she should get a hold of that book that Logan mentioned with the super thief and see if there were any insights from a prior jewelry thief to help with her case. She finally decided it was getting late enough in the afternoon that she'd head home to do a few things there before getting ready to go to dinner with Heather.


	4. Chapter 4 - Faster

**A/N – Sort of like my first story, this chapter has another song in it. The part with the song will probably be more interesting if you hear the song first. It's Faster by Matt Nathanson. There are several youtube versions of it, either with him singing or just lyric versions.**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reading along and leaving comments. I appreciate them all!**

**Disclaimer: The VM characters still belong to Rob Thomas (wish they were mine though)**

_**Update: OldLace kindly left this comment and I wanted to share it with everyone else too: **_

_**"**__**Public Service Advisory: if you don't already know, Zooey Magazine released their Men To Watch feature, a video of which can be seen on youtube; Jason Dohring is included (at 2:20)."**_

_**I'd completely forgotten that Faster was the song in that behind the scenes video. If you search for Zooey Magazine on YouTube, it's the first video listed on their Videos tab.**_

Chapter 4 - Faster

Veronica arrived home before Logan and flopped down on the couch to just rest her eyes for a little while before she went up to change for dinner. She didn't mean to fall asleep, but apparently had. Logan's couches were large and extremely comfortable and she just couldn't help herself once she started feeling sleepy. She felt a warm set of lips pressing against hers as she started to wake up.

"Prince Charming?" She asked in a sleepy voice without opening her eyes. She heard Logan chuckle softly and brush some hair off her face then felt his warm breath on her cheek before his lips pressed into hers again, with a much deeper kiss than before.

As he pulled his mouth away from hers, she smiled and took a deep breath. "Mmmm, best way to wake up." She slowly opened her eyes and saw him smiling back at her.

"Good thing I was here to awaken you from that sleeping curse, my dear princess." He said with a loving smile as he gracefully hopped over her to sink in between her and the back of the couch. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "As a rule, I like to end every work day with a hot blonde waiting for me on my couch."

She turned so she could wrap her arms around him as well and placed another quick kiss on his lips. "Me too," she said with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," he said with a matching smirk. She laughed softly and pressed her head to his chest.

He nuzzled his face into her hair, kissing her head. "So how was your day, honey?" He asked in a playful tone as he ran a hand up and down her back.

She quickly filled him in on the new jewelry theft. She shared how there still weren't any apparent connections between all of the cases. "I'm planning to talk with Mac when we go to poker at their house tomorrow night about how easy it would be to override those types of electronic safes."

"I'm not positive we're having poker there tomorrow night," He replied and as he saw her confused look he continued, "Speedy didn't seem all that 'speedy' when she stopped by City Hall this morning to do some work. I think she might be coming down with something from how she looked." He thought for another moment, "Well she seemed to be speedy when she ran to the restroom. Dick hasn't called it off yet, but given how she looked this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Veronica's expression changed to a suspiciously thoughtful look. "What's that look for Miss Mars?" Logan asked her with his eyebrows furrowed.

"I saw her this afternoon when she stopped by the Sheriff's office to fix a few of our computers, and she seemed perfectly fine." Logan gave her a confused look, to which she gave him an expression that suggested he should know what she was talking about.

"Well that's good?" He replied in an unsure tone, realizing he still wasn't actually getting what she was trying to imply. He still had a befuddled look on his face.

"You didn't notice that at the BBQ and on Halloween, she didn't have any alcohol to drink, and now she seems to be sick in the _'morning'_ only?" Veronica asked, looking at him in disbelief that he didn't piece it together already himself.

Logan's forehead crinkled as he was listening to her, then his eyes grew wide once she finished. "You think she's pregnant?" His mouth remained open after he said it, clearly not quite believing it could be true.

Veronica shrugged and nodded. "Plus they moved their wedding up from the summer to December now."

Logan ran the hand that wasn't under her through his hair, clearly having a tough time imaging it. "Dick as a dad?"

"I know, scary thought isn't it." Veronica said with an exaggerated shudder. "I sort of hinted about it at the BBQ and Mac wouldn't admit it though, so don't say anything until they are ready to share it, okay?"

Logan nodded silently, obviously still trying to wrap his head around the possibility.

"So," Veronica asked with a questioning expression. "What's the plan for dinner with Heather? Are we meeting her at the restaurant?"

"What?" Logan asked, apparently still in shock over the possibility of the impending Dick offspring.

Veronica laughed, "Dinner? What's the plan, Stan?"

Logan rolled his eyes and then smiled, "Heather is meeting us here and then we'll drive to dinner."

After snuggling on the couch for a short while longer, they decided they'd better go up and change out of their work clothes and into something more casual for dinner. As Logan sat up, he suddenly remember something he'd forgotten. Veronica had just stood up, and he grabbed her wrist gently. "Hey, hold on a second. I almost forgot that I got you something."

She turned to sit back down and gave him a slightly scolding look. "Logan, unless it's a pony, you really need to stop getting me things."

He smiled and reached for his suit jacket that he'd put at the end of the couch before he'd woken her up. He pulled out a jewelry box.

"That must be a very small pony," she joked once she saw it. "Seriously though, you don't need to get me things."

"Ooooh come on V'ronica," he pleaded with a slight pout on his face. She'd noticed sometimes he would say her name in a way that seemed to leave out the 'e', especially when he was trying to cajole her into something. She wasn't sure exactly when he started doing it, but it always made her grin when he said it that way. "Consider it a belated birthday present."

She gave him a skeptical look, "Logan, you don't have to buy belated birthday presents for someone you weren't with on their birthday."

"Just humor me and open it, okay?" He changed from a pout to sad puppy dog eyes as he tipped his head down.

"Fine," she sighed and took the box from his hands. When she opened it, her eyes lit up. "It's beautiful Logan, but I told you this morning that I didn't want expensive jewelry that I wouldn't really get to wear very often."

"I know," he said with a smile. "I listened. This isn't actually that expensive. I thought it would be something you could wear any day you'd like. Of course the light green stones are Peridots and then there are a few small diamonds too."

"My birthstone," she said softly as she ran her fingers gently over the necklace. "It really is beautiful, Logan. Is it one of Sylvia's?"

He nodded and smiled as he watched her carefully take the necklace out of the box.

"How well do you know her?" Veronica asked as she looked up from the necklace to Logan. She was thinking if they were fairly good friends, maybe she'd be a good person to talk with about her case. He looked momentarily away from her and she thought she saw a worried look cross his face. _Not another ex-girlfriend_, she couldn't help but think.

He turned back to her and smiled a bit sadly. "I know her really well. She was really good friends with my mom."

_Well I read that look wrong_. She gave him a loving smile, and squeezed his hand gently. "Do you think she'd be willing to talk to me about the stolen jewelry? I thought talking to one of the jewelers might give me some insight that I've been missing."

"Yeah, I'm sure she'd be more than happy to talk to you about it. And I know she'd really like to meet you too." The sadness that had been there a moment ago was gone, replaced by the more relaxed and loving expression he'd had when he'd first given her the necklace. "She was really excited to make the necklace for you."

"She made it just for me?" She asked in a quieter voice with amazement in her eyes.

Logan nodded. "Yesterday when I stopped in to borrow the other necklace she asked all about you and when your birthday was so she could make you a special piece."

Veronica gave him a truly grateful smile and leaned in and hugged him. "Thank you Logan. And I'll be sure to thank her too when I meet her."

He helped her put on the necklace, then they headed up the stairs to change. She'd taken to wearing pieces of her lawyer attire for work at the Sheriff's office, though opting for slacks more often than when she was at the DA's office. Today was no exception and she was looking forward to changing into some more comfortable clothes for the evening. She still wanted to look nice to meet Heather for the first time, so chose one of the less formal dresses that she'd bought when she first came back to Neptune. The neckline showed off the necklace very well and it even had some light green in it that matched the Periodot. Logan gave her a smile and loving kiss after she had changed into the dress. He'd also changed out of his business suit into a nicely fitting pair of jeans and a button down green shirt. After they were both changed, they went back down stairs to wait for Heather.

"Oh, I ran into Emily again today at the hospital," Veronica mentioned as she took a seat on the couch downstairs.

Logan gave her a slightly puzzled look, "Why were you at the hospital?" Veronica hadn't mentioned that they'd gone there to talk with Dr. Taylor about the jewelry case and explained that to him.

"She said I should try to come down sometime to volunteer with the kids." Veronica added after filling him in on why her and Norris were there in the first place.

Logan smiled and nodded. "You should, they'd love it I'm sure. I haven't done it for a while either and really should do it again. Maybe we could even go together one afternoon?"

She smiled and nodded. "That would be nice. Have you done it alot?"

Logan shrugged, "On occasion, actually that's how I first met Emily. Felicia had suggested I try it and the first time I went she was one of the nurses on duty. She really has a knack for dealing with kids and you can tell she loves taking care of them."

Veronica laughed, "Well that explains why she was willing to put up with you for a while."

"Hey," Logan protested with a fake pout on his lips when he caught on to her quip. She giggled as he quickly moved his hands around her waist and pushed her back so he could pin her down on the couch cushions. "Do I need to show you how much I'm not a child?" He moved his mouth to her neck and started alternating between deep kisses and lightly biting her.

She moaned lightly as he continued his ministrations on her neck. "I'll let you prove it to me tonight after dinner," she said in a sultry tone. She let him continue for another few seconds, then pushed him away slightly with her hand. "We're expecting company anytime, don't forget."

He sighed and rolled on to his side and gave her one more kiss to the side of her head. "You started it," he replied in a petulant voice.

She laughed, "Yeah, that doesn't sound childish at all." She rolled so she could face him and gave him a smirk.

He smiled back and winked, then ran his hands along her hair. His expression became a bit more serious as he looked deeply into her eyes. "I'm really glad you're finally meeting Heather. She means a lot to me too, so I hope you two like each other."

Veronica gave him a slightly puzzled expression, "Has she not gotten along with some of your past girlfriends?"

He shrugged slightly. "Well obviously she didn't care much for Alexis by the time we called off the engagement. They got along okay prior to that, though I wouldn't say she was ever a huge fan. And given most of the others didn't last very long, she didn't actually meet them all. She did meet Emily and they got along well."

Veronica gave him a knowing smile, "I find it hard to imagine anyone not getting along well with Emily. Although I suppose there could be the possibility of sweetness overload, like a giant piece of really rich chocolate cake. Maybe better in small doses."

Logan gave her an adoring smile and kissed her again. He was relieved that she didn't seem to feel threatened at all by Emily and that they could talk about her so easily. He had been a little concerned when they ran into her at Hearst as to how it was going to play out given they'd had so many challenges dealing with his past relationship with Alexis. He was glad to see Veronica's confidence in the two of them seemed to be growing and that Emily wasn't a difficult topic for them to discuss. If Emily was getting serious with Leo, she may be around even more and having it not be awkward between the four of them would be best.

Logan had left the security gate open when he came home so Heather wouldn't have to punch in the code. They were still snuggled together on the couch when the doorbell rang. Logan's expression became puzzled as he got up and went to answer the door. Veronica could still hear him from the living room as he opened the door.

"Since when do you ring the bell?" Logan asked as he let Heather into the house.

"Since you have a girlfriend living here," She quickly replied and then teased, "I'd hate to interrupt something you know."

Veronica heard Logan chuckle as their footsteps approached the living room. She stood up to meet Heather.

"Heather, Veronica," Logan said as he gestured between the two women.

Heather had almost that same silly grin that she'd had in the elevator at the Grand on her face as she beamed at Veronica. "It's so wonderful to officially meet you," she said quickly as she reached out and gave Veronica a tight squeeze. Logan smirked as he saw the surprise on Veronica's face.

Heather let go and took a step back, but still had the same overly excited expression on her face.

"It's great to meet you too," Veronica said in a voice that Logan recognized as her being a bit freaked out by Heather's enthusiasm. He tried really hard not to laugh, but couldn't help but have a goofy smile on his own face watching the two of them. "Logan's told me a lot about you." Veronica turned and looked at Logan, then back at Heather, who was still staring at her.

"Okay, you two are seriously freaking me out!" Veronica said a moment later as their matching grins were just too much for her to handle any longer.

"I'm sorry," Heather quickly blurt out. "It's just so surreal to actually see you again after so many years, and here with Logan, it's just so… I don't know." She paused and looked between them, "it's just like an epic love story from a movie or something."

Veronica gave Logan a questioning glance, and he quickly shook his head. "I never told her about that." He quickly replied.

"Told me what?" Heather asked as her eyes grew big with curiosity.

Veronica smiled and shook her head. "It was just something Logan said at the fake prom he threw when we were seniors in high school." She bit at her lip to keep the cheesy grin infection from spreading to her as well.

"Well now you have to tell me what it was!" Heather said looking back and forth between the other two. "Wait, it wasn't one of those stupid quotes he's always spouting out was it?"

"Hey," Logan said in protest, "I don't do that as much any more. And most people find them intriguing, not stupid."

Heather rolled her eyes at him and looked back at Veronica.

Veronica shook her head and then her smile grew a bit more, "He said we were Epic. Spanning years and continents, lives ruined, bloodshed, epic."

"Oh my gawd!" Heather blurted out. "You two really are, aren't you? And I always knew Logan was just a big mushy romantic under that tough guy façade." She reached over and poked him in the stomach.

"Stop, you're gonna ruin my street cred!" Logan teased back. He wrapped his arms around Veronica and gave her a kiss on the top of the head.

"Of course we'll leave out the non-romantic morning after story," Veronica said with a slightly annoyed look on her face as she turned and looked at Logan.

Heather looked confused, and Logan shook his head and looked apologetically at Veronica. "No one writes songs about the ones that come easy," he said in a soft loving voice. Her look softened and she leaned up and kissed him.

"So sushi?" Veronica said looking back at Heather with a friendly smile, one of her arms still wrapped around Logan's waist. Heather nodded and smiled back. Her smile was still a bit on the overly excited side, but it was starting to shrink a bit.

Logan led them out to the garage so they could climb into the Range Rover to go to dinner.

"Nice car," Heather exclaimed as she saw the new Benz. "Too bad it doesn't have a back seat so we could take it."

Logan smiled and nodded proudly. "Thanks, we went to get a new car for Veronica and I fell in love with this one. She's the very best girlfriend in the entire world and has let me drive it and she's driving the BMW."

Veronica laughed, "Well they are still both your cars. Like I'm going to complain about driving the BMW. But I'll give you bonus points for saying I'm the very best girlfriend in the entire world."

As they pulled out of the garage, Veronica noticed the fancy Mini Cooper in the driveway that Heather had driven over in. She raised her eyebrow at Logan and he shrugged realizing immediately what her look was about. "You got a new car for your high school graduation too," he said a bit sheepishly.

"And people say I'm a marshmallow," she teasingly replied.

They spent most of dinner talking about the classes Heather was taking at Hearst. She was planning to major in journalism, and was working for the school paper. Veronica shared the story of how she'd tried working for the paper when she went there, and how that didn't exactly work out well for her. She jokingly added that if Heather ever needed to find anything in the library though, she'd be happy to direct her to the right floor.

As they were finishing up their meal, Heather gave Logan a mischievous look. "We're going to karaoke next you know."

Logan had a concerned look on his face and shook his head. "I don't think Veronica wants to go listen to karaoke tonight," looking at her for reassurance.

But before Veronica could say anything, Heather looked eagerly at her and nodded her head with a large grin on her face, "Oh yes, Veronica _really_ wants to go to karaoke." Emphasizing the word really, and nodding her head vigorously.

"I do?" Veronica asked with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, yes you do!" Heather responded very enthusiastically.

Veronica looked back at Logan, who was shaking his head no, with the concerned look replaced by a pleading one.

"Come on, old man," Heather taunted, "A bet is a bet and you have to pay up since you lost."

Veronica's interest was piqued. "Tell me more of this debt?" She said with a sly grin, looking at Heather intently.

Heather leaned a bit closer to Veronica and explained, "He lost at our last video game tournament, so he has to sing karaoke." Veronica smiled at Heather, and then looked at Logan for a moment, then back at Heather. "And I get to pick the song," Heather added, and then she turned back to Logan, "Hey, at least it's a Wednesday night and the place shouldn't be too packed."

A little later they were sitting at a table at a place near Hearst that reminded Veronica of the Java Hut, with coffee, desserts and karaoke. Heather had gone over to sign Logan up and hadn't returned yet. A waitress had just stopped by and took their drink and dessert orders before Heather had left the table.

"Thanks for backing me up there at dinner," Logan said sarcastically after the waitress left, giving Veronica a scowl. "I'm going to remember this you know."

She smiled gleefully at him, "And I'm sure I'm going to remember this too! Do they have rules about video taping it with our phones?" Veronica started looking around the room for any posted signs. She smiled deviously and got her phone out of her purse and snapped a quick picture of Logan sitting there with a pout on his face.

Heather returned a moment later and sat down smiling at the two of them. "You're up in two more songs." She announced gleefully.

Logan sighed and shook his head. "Did you at least pick a song that I know? And hopefully one that matches my own gender this time."

Heather smiled a bit more deviously and nodded, "Yep, I'm pretty sure I've caught you singing to this in the car before." Logan cringed and covered his face with his hands. "And you know the rules, if you don't sing enthusiastically and get a genuine applause from the crowd, you have to keep singing until you do."

Veronica chuckled to herself and made an internal note not to make any bets with Heather in the foreseeable future. "So have you ever had to sing?" she asked Heather curiously.

Heather looked thoughtful for a minute, "Yeah, once, or wait twice, but poor old gramps here has lost 7 times before this."

"8," Logan corrected and shook his head sadly. "I swear you cheat when we have those tournaments. You totally hustle me and then convince me to bet on it and crush me. Plus you shouldn't be playing video games so much now that you're in college."

Both Heather and Veronica laughed. "Like you didn't play video games in college?" Heather blurted out. "Dude, that's when I met you and we started our weekly gaming competitions."

Logan looked like a convict waiting to be lead to death row as the song before his was wrapping up. "Don't forget the rules," Heather said in a sing-song voice as they called his name and he trudged up to the stage, giving her a bit of a death glare.

"Knock 'em dead," Veronica chimed in as well in a chipper voice.

He didn't know what the song was until he got on the stage. Once he saw it he smirked and gave Heather an amused look as he shook his head.

Veronica held up her phone to record him singing. Heather had insisted that they get a table as close to the stage as possible when they arrived, which Veronica was more than happy to agree to.

The name of the song and artist came up on the little monitor for the audience to see too: 'Faster', by Matt Nathanson. Veronica wasn't sure what the song was, but smiled when she realized his dedication song to her was by the same artist.

Logan's scowl turned into a much friendly grin, as he was obviously trying to work the crowd. _I see he's following the rules so he doesn't have to go back up there, _Veronica thought to herself. She was even more impressed when he started moving his hips and shoulders a little to the beat of the song. She felt her pulse speed up for some reason as he started to sing, and it didn't help that he was staring right at her as he sang.

"_You're so delicious, you're so soft, sweet on the tip of my tongue_." He stuck his tongue out a little ways and bit it slightly after he sang the line.

"_You taste like sunlight, and strawberry bubble gum." _He gave her a little smirk before continuing.

"_You bite my lip."_ He bit his lip slightly and smiled slyly at her.

"_You spike my blood, you make my heart beat faster."_ She was practically swooning when he pointed to her when he said 'you' and then put his hand over his heart, patting against his chest like a heart beat. She laughed and shook her head at him. The song sped up a bit and he had loosened up a little more and was moving more to the beat.

"_Only you own, and rattle my bones, you turn me over and over, 'till I can't control myself, make me a liar, one big disaster, you make my heart beat faster._" She laughed as he did the patting over his heart again and did little circles with his hands when he sang 'over and over'. There were also quite a few cheers from the audience. Then the tune slowed down and he looked more intently at her again.

"_It's the way you swell, slow, pushing right out your seams, it's the way you smile, baby, when you've got me on my knees." _He winked and smiled seductively at her.

"_Your all night noise, your siren's howl,"_ Veronica about jumped as a large number of people in the audience, mostly women, howled after that line, making Logan laugh.

"_You make my heart, beat, faster, only you own, and rattle my bones, you turn me over and over, 'till I can't control myself, make me a liar, one big disaster, you make my heart beat faster."_

"_Cause I jump, I crash, I crawl, I beg, I steal, I fall Ooooh," _Veronica couldn't help but be impressed by the way he seemed to change his tune to be a bit higher and sped up, apparently follow the original song. There were several cheers from the audience after that section before the lyrics started again.

"_Yeah, you own me, you make my heart beat faster, I can't get enough, 'cause it's gone, like, I guess this world is over to me."_ She laughed and shook her head at him again as he gave her another seductive leer.

"_Only you own, and rattle my bones, you turn me over and over, 'till I can't control myself, make me a liar, one big disaster, you make my heart beat faster."_

Veronica and Heather, as well as most of the audience cheered for him as he finished and took a bow. There was definitely a tinge of blush on his cheeks as he made his way back to the table.

"Debt settled?" He asked a bit breathlessly to Heather. She nodded enthusiastically.

"That was…" Veronica started to say. His expression took on a worried look when she didn't complete her sentence right away. She gave him a reassuring smile. "That was very hot." She said and then leaned in and gave him a deep kiss.

They stayed for a few more songs and had some desserts, before they decided to call it a night. Logan tried to coax one of them to go up and sing too, but they both declined. Veronica noticed a few women that walked by gave Logan suggestive glances, however he either didn't notice or was doing an excellent job of pretending not to notice. He mostly just kept his eyes on her with the exception of when he was listening to something Heather was saying. While she had never been a fan of karaoke, likely from some of the horrible singers when she worked at the Hut, she actually was having a fun time there with Logan and Heather.

After Heather had said her good byes and left for the night, they headed up to their bedroom. "You're not going to show that video to anyone, right?" He asked with a bit of a worried expression on his face.

She smiled deviously at him, "Hmmm, I guess that depends."

"On?" He asked as he gave her a predatory look and moved closer to her.

"How happy you keep me." She said with a sly grin.

"Oh, I'll be sure to keep you very, very happy then," he replied as he pressed his body against hers and his lips crashed into hers. His warm fingers slipped under her dress and slowly ran up her thighs as he started to move them toward the bed.

"Mmmmm," she moaned back against his mouth, "I'm sure you will." She gave him a deep kiss then added, "now lets see about making your heart beat faster."


	5. Chapter 5 - Fabulous Desserts

**A/N - I hope most of you like this chapter. Let me know what you think. I'm expecting some comments given the characters that are in this one. The next chapter will be a lot more fun I think, so be sure to watch for it later this week!**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reading along and leaving comments. I appreciate them all!**

**Disclaimer: The VM characters still belong to Rob Thomas (wish they were mine though)**

Chapter 5 – Fabulous Desserts

Veronica had decided to start back at the original robbery in her effort to revisit the prior cases. When the first robbery had been reported, no one had ever imagined it was just the beginning of a chain of robberies, so there certainly could have been things they missed. The notes from the first deputy had mentioned that the family had fired a maid a few weeks prior to them noticing the necklace was gone, and the owners really thought she had taken it, but the sheriff's department was unable to find any proof that she had. They had even obtained a search warrant and searched the woman's apartment and didn't find anything at all to suggest she'd taken the necklace.

Veronica dialed the number for the Branford's residence. She was happy to catch Mrs. Victoria Branford at home. Veronica explained how she had just recently started working for the Sheriff's Department and how there had been several more jewelry robberies after theirs and she was hoping she could come by and ask them a few more questions about their case to try to finally catch the culprit. Mrs. Branford explained that she had an appointment in two hours, but if Veronica could make it there soon, she'd be willing to talk with her.

Veronica quickly grabbed her bag and let Leo know where she was off too. The Branford's lived in the same general area as the Taylor's, but two streets farther east from where the Kane's had lived. The houses on this street seemed a bit larger and more expensive than the street the Taylor's had lived on. When she rang the bell, she was greeted by a young blond woman who appeared to be the maid and escorted her back through the house to a sun room where Mrs. Branford was sitting reading a magazine. Mrs. Branford gave Veronica a quick nod and gestured to the seat across from her.

Veronica estimated Mrs. Branford to be in her early 30's. Of course she had perfectly manicured nails, and even though she appeared to be dressed to go attend some sort of gym class, her hair and make up were perfectly done. "Thank you so much for agreeing to talk with me," Veronica said as she sat down.

"Have we met before?" Mrs. Branford asked. "You look very familiar."

"No, I don't believe we have. I wasn't working on the case when your necklace was reported stolen."

Mrs. Branford shook her head. "No not from the Sheriff's Department. But you do look very familiar." She kept studying Veronica carefully.

Veronica knew from looking at their case file that her husband, Michael Branford, was a realtor with the most exclusive firm in town. The firm handled all of the multi-million dollar homes sold around Neptune, so their commissions for one sale would be more than she could imagine making in a year herself. She couldn't quite imagine where Mrs. Branford may have recognized her from, though it wouldn't be surprising given her past in Neptune.

"You were at Hearst Tuesday night with Mayor Echolls weren't you?" She asked as a look of recognition finally flashed across her face.

Veronica confirmed with a nod. She swore that Mrs. Branford's expression changed from just recognizing her to picturing Logan in her head, the way her lips twitched up into an almost ravenous smile.

"He's my boyfriend actually," Veronica added, all of a sudden feeling the need to be seen as more than just his date of the night by this woman for some reason.

Mrs. Branford nodded in reply and must have decided it was best to change the topic, "So what can I help you with today about our case?"

Veronica asked if she could see the safe the jewelry had been taken from and get some pictures of it. The original deputy hadn't thought they would need that for the report. Mrs. Branford agreed and led her back through the house, up the stairs to their master bedroom. The safe was located in their walk in closet. While Logan had an impressive closet, this one was more like a boutique and about double the size of his.

The safe was similar to the one at the Taylor's, though a different brand, but still a digital combination as opposed to a spin dial old style one. She opened the safe for Veronica to also take pictures of the inside. There were several other jewelry cases in the safe, and Veronica remembered from the file that they did have several other necklaces and only one had been stolen.

"I was also wondering who the jeweler was that made your necklace. It wasn't listed in the case file."

"Mark Martinelli," Mrs. Branford replied. "He's my favorite jeweler in town."

Veronica recognized the name as also being the jeweler of several of the ones that were stolen, second behind Sylvia. Veronica had also brought along the list of names of staff that they had originally provided and asked her if she could look over it again to see if there were any left off the first time.

Mrs. Branford let out an irritated sigh, "You really should contact my husband about that. He's the one who handles all of that sort of thing. I wouldn't even know if the names on this list currently are correct or not." Veronica tried not to look too judgmental. "Well of course other than Elise, our au pair."

_Silly Veronica, not a maid, an au pair. How could you not recognize that by the way she opened the door and escorted you through the house?_ She did remember seeing an Elise Alstrom on the list of original names. "You had initially thought a Miss Molina may have taken the necklace. Was there a specific reason you had suspected her?"

"She just seemed suspicious to me," was all that Mrs. Branford was willing to say. Veronica noticed a look flash across her face though that looked like jealousy or anger. _Hmm, perhaps Miss Molina and Mr. Branford were a bit too cozy for Mrs. Branford's liking._

"Did she, or any of your other staff, say Elise, have the combination to the safe?"

Mrs. Branford's look became a bit icy, "Well I certainly never gave it to either of them. Again, maybe you should call my husband so he can answer your questions." She glanced down at the watch on her wrist. "I really do need to be going, so if there's nothing else you need from me, I'll see you out now." She turned and headed back toward the stairs.

As Veronica followed her, she glanced at a few of the family portraits in the hall. Mr. Branford was quite handsome, probably in his early 40's as he definitely looked a bit older than his wife. They had two little girls who looked to be about 7 and 9 in a recent looking picture. Elise was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

"Elise, can you please show the investigator out?" Mrs. Branford said as she passed her and headed back toward the sunroom. Elise smiled cautiously at Veronica and led her toward the front door.

"Thanks, Elise." Veronica said as she opened the door for her. Elise only smiled and nodded and quickly shut the door behind her. Veronica laughed to herself as she walked back to her car. _I should have brought a jacket to deal with the chill that set in there at the end of my visit_.

Veronica called Mr. Branford from her car, but the receptionist at the realty office informed her that he was out with clients and wouldn't be back until later in the afternoon. She scheduled an appointment to meet him at 3pm, and then went back to the Sheriff's Office to do some work. She was meeting Logan for lunch and then they were going to visit Sylvia.

Veronica decided to walk over to City Hall to meet Logan for lunch since it was a nice day and the new Sheriff's Office was only a block away from City Hall. She'd been looking down at her phone as she reached the entrance, and about ran into someone she didn't see. "Sorry!" she blurted out, and then she heard a familiar laugh. "Casey?"

"You really have a bad habit of practically running me over don't you?" He said with a friendly smile. She laughed remembering how she did the same thing when he first came to Mars Investigations for help with Debbie's case. He smiled at her and then added, "Hey, I'm sorry Alexis got a bit catty the other night." He paused and looked at her apologetically. "Of course I think part of her really was just curious and didn't think it was that big of a deal to ask. As you've noticed, she doesn't have a lot of filters about things she says. And we'd had several drinks before we even made it to Hearst, and that seems to make any small amount of restraint she may possess completely vanish."

_Saying exactly what's on her mind regardless of who it might bother, yet one more way she's just like Lilly used to be_. Veronica gave him a knowing look, "Did she grill you later about whether you and I had dated?"

He smirked back and nodded, "Of course."

She shook her head, "I'm not really sure why you'd want to spend time with her."

He gave her a provocative look, and she rolled her eyes at him. A slightly disgusted "men," was her only response. He laughed and shrugged in reply.

"So you're still coming Saturday right?" He asked with a hopeful expression on his face. She sighed and nodded. He smiled back happily. "I'll do my best to keep her from bothering you."

Veronica laughed softly, "Good luck with that, though I do appreciate the gesture. Are you here to see her?"

Casey nodded, "Yeah, we're going to lunch. You? Also here for a lunch date?" She nodded and smiled. "I honestly never would have guessed you and Logan would have gotten together. Of course when I last saw you both together it was your Junior year of high school, and we both know how that was."

"Yeah, that was a long time ago." Veronica said with a grim smile, "We went through so much bad stuff back then."

Casey nodded and gave her a reassuring look. "You two seem really good together now. And I'm sure you know better than to let any of Alexis's snide remarks get to you. You were the toughest girl I knew at Neptune High."

"Thanks Casey." She said with a surprised smile, "We'd better get to our respective dates before they come looking for us."

"Oh hey, have you heard anything about our other old friend?" Casey raised his eyebrows curiously as he asked.

Veronica shook her head, "Sorry, I haven't heard anything new there. At least we know she's safe though." Casey nodded grimly and they headed inside.

Logan was at Jenny's desk chatting with her when Veronica walked into his office. "Hey there's my favorite lady." Logan said lovingly and moved toward her so he could give her a quick kiss. He said a brief goodbye to Jenny, and they headed back out to the lobby.

Of course, as Veronica had been expecting, though dreading, their timing was just right so they ran into Alexis and Casey also heading through the building lobby to the front door.

"Hi Veronica," Alexis said in an irritatingly sweet tone. "Nice to see you again. Are you two heading to lunch too?"

They nodded in reply. Logan and Casey gave each other a quick 'hey there' silent guy greeting.

"Hey, you two could join us," Alexis said in a chipper voice. "We're headed down the street to eat at Giovanni's." She could see neither Veronica nor Logan looked thrilled with the idea. "And I promise I'll be good."

Casey gave them both a half hearted smile, "I don't mind, but if you two would rather not join us, that's fine too."

"Oh come on, you like Italian, right Veronica?" Alexis said with her cheery smile still in place.

Logan looked at Veronica for a moment then back at Alexis, "Thanks for the offer, but I think we'll pass..."

"No it's fine," Veronica interrupted. "I do love Italian." She gave Logan a reassuring smile. Alexis smiled and took Casey's arm and led the way out of City Hall. The way she took charge of the group with such an air of confidence was like watching a ghost of Lilly walking right in front of them.

Logan gave Veronica a worried look before she reached out and took his hand and pulled him along. _Worst idea ever, but I also didn't want to give her the satisfaction of seeing me back down to her either._ Veronica and Logan were walking silently down the sidewalk behind the other couple. Casey was telling Alexis about a particularly challenging new client he'd just met with as they walked. Logan seemed to have not only gone extremely quiet, but his body had also tensed up. She leaned in closer to him and whispered, "It's just lunch, how bad could it be."

He gave her a look that clearly implied '_you have no idea_'. Then he pulled her a little closer as they continued walking, and leaned in to kiss her head.

Alexis already had reservations for 2 so it took a few extra minutes for them to find them a table for 4.

"Are you missing Massachusetts yet?" Alexis asked Veronica as she sipped on her drink after they were seated.

"Given the average temperature in November can be in the 40's and it's one of the wettest months, no not really." Veronica replied politely back. "It's nice to be back in the realm of eternal sunshine."

Casey jumped in and shared some stories of trips he had to take for work to some places with absolutely horrible weather. He swore his staff members were intentionally trying to find authors in the areas that had absolutely the worst weather and then would insist that he'd be the only one that could get the authors to agree to sign with them. If it wasn't a location with horrible weather, then they seemed to enjoy sending him to places that were completely obscure with somewhat sketchy residents. Of course they really enjoyed it when it was a double hit, bad weather and a location with accommodations that could only be considered 1-star if you were being really open minded about it.

Alexis spent the rest of the time talking about some of the challenges she was having with putting together the annual winter festival due to some businesses that weren't happy with how things were handled by the woman who coordinated it the prior year. Alexis was glad the woman was no longer at the Chamber, but she was still having a hard time fixing some of the damage she had done. Casey of course listened intently, and offered to help her if there was anything he could do. Veronica resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she watched him obviously sucking up to her. Casey shot her a quick glare when he saw her smirk about it.

While their lunch together wasn't the most fun Veronica had ever had, she was surprised that Alexis didn't make a single snippy comment, nor bring up any story of something her and Logan had done together in the past. Veronica had been waiting for something to happen, but Alexis really did seem to be trying to behave, or she was too busy flirting with Casey to worry about it. Logan for the most part remained fairly uncomfortable and quiet through the entire meal. Veronica had given him a few reassuring smiles, but it didn't seem to help much at all. He would laugh at some of Casey's stories, but the laughter seemed forced and his smile certainly never reached his eyes.

When they were finished, the four of them walked back toward City Hall together, with Veronica and Logan saying a quick good bye to walk to his car to go visit Sylvia. "See that wasn't so bad," She said as they walked closer to the car. He just nodded and took a deep breath and opened the door for her. She paused and gave him a quick peck on the lips before climbing in and watched him close the door behind her.

When he closed his own door and went to push the button to start the car, Veronica reached for his hand and stopped him. "Hey, what's wrong? It was just lunch and I really can take care of myself around her. You're not still bothered by it, are you?"

He let out another deep breath and shook his head. "I guess I was just so worried she was going to say something to cause a problem that I let it get to me more than I should have."

"What could she possibly say that would be that bad Logan? We've been through this right? I know how she is. I've known other women like her too. You're not who you used to be, trying to hide things from me, so as long as we're open and honest it will be okay." She looked at him with a reassuring, loving smile.

She could see he was starting to relax again and he let out a small sigh. "You're right. We are different now." He reached over and brushed some hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "It just felt very awkward, that's all."

She gave him a loving look and leaned forward and gave him a kiss. As she started to pull her mouth away, she could finally feel a smile start to form on his lips. Her cell phone beeped at that moment, and she pulled it out of her purse to be sure it wasn't work. Logan saw her face change to a look of concern as she read it.

"What's wrong?" He asked as she sat the phone on her lap.

"So about _'awkward'_ situations…." He gave her a confused look. She squished her nose up in a bit of a grimace, "I forgot to tell you that Leo asked if it was okay if he brought Emily to poker tonight."

"Oh…" Logan replied, clearly a little caught off guard by that. "Yeah, sure, of course that's fine."

Veronica gave him a half smile, "And that was a text from Wallace…" Logan's expression changed from being slightly surprised to confused, clearly not sure now what had caused her reaction to her phone, since it wasn't about Emily. She sighed, "…apparently Piz is in town visiting him and he also invited him to Poker tonight."

Logan chuckled to himself. "Yeah, talk about awkward, this could be even more fun than lunch was, couldn't it?"

"We could just skip it if you want." She suggested. She could always talk with Mac at another time about the safes for her case.

"Do you want to skip it?" He asked, looking intently at her.

She shrugged, "Well I'm not exactly thrilled about seeing Piz, but I was looking forward to seeing Weevil and Carmen again."

He nodded. "You know it's not the first time he's brought Piz to poker, so if you're worried about he and I having some sort of altercation, we've definitely gotten past all that."

She gave him a surprised look and replied in a teasing tone, "And here I thought you didn't steal Piz from me too."

He chuckled, "No, I didn't say he and I have become best buds or anything like that. It's just that we've played poker a few times and there wasn't any blood shed. He did keep going to Hearst after you left, so our paths did cross on several occasions."

"Alright, then I guess we'll go." She gave him an amused smile, "Maybe we should invite Alexis and Casey and make it even more awkward."

He shook his head and started the car as she laughed softly.

Soon they arrived at Sylvia's jewelry shop. She gave Logan a friendly hug as they walked in and he introduced her to Veronica. Veronica had of course worn the new necklace and Sylvia smiled as she saw it.

"Thank you so much for making this for me," Veronica said gratefully, touching her fingers to the necklace as she spoke. "I absolutely love it."

"I'm so happy to hear that dear," She said with a warm smile on her face. Sylvia was probably in her early 50's with her hair cut quite short. It was a light gray color and she had lovely blue eyes that twinkled as she smiled at them. "Logan said you're working on those horrible robbery cases?"

Veronica nodded. "Yes, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions and see if there's anything you'd suggest I look into."

"Of course dear, I'd be happy to help." She led them over to some chairs that were in the corner of the store. Logan and Veronica picked two next to each other and he wrapped his arm lovingly around her shoulders as they sat down. Sylvia smiled fondly as she watched the two of them.

"We haven't found any trace of them showing up at any pawn shops locally or around LA or San Diego. I was wondering if there are other routes people might use to try to sell them."

Sylvia thought about it for a moment before answering. "Well I'm sure there are always private collectors who would be willing to buy directly from someone. Do you have any connections to any of the fences in addition to just the pawn shops? I'm sure it's harder to get tapped into those illegal channels though."

Veronica had been considering that too. She wondered how she would even begin to try to find some fences and how many there even were around Neptune. She hadn't actually asked Leo about that yet. Although it also seemed like something Cliff might know about if he had to defend any of them.

"If they were fencing them, do you think they would be more likely to sell the necklaces intact, or the individual stones that are in the necklaces?"

"Well the necklaces would be more valuable as they are, versus how much they would get for the gems alone. It's not that they couldn't do that, but they would certainly be more valuable left as complete pieces if they are able to find the right buyer through a fence or on their own." Sylvia replied as she continued to watch both Logan and Veronica carefully.

"All of the robberies so far have been done without any apparent break in and nothing else has been taken. So they've been specifically targeted for just the jewelry. To me it seems like they have a specific buyer or group of buyers that they are working with and somehow have made a connection to each family to get access to their homes."

Sylvia nodded. "Tracking down the potential fences seems like the best chance you might have. A few of the other jewelers I know have talked about it a little with me, but I doubt they would know any names of fences to give you either. But I can certainly ask for you."

Veronica had brought pictures of the necklaces that had been stolen to see if Sylvia thought there could be some connection to the various pieces that were taken. She felt guilty though as she saw Sylvia's expression as she realized how many of the necklaces had been ones she'd made. She pointed to one with an unusual purple stone. "I remember that amethyst was extremely difficult to find. Mrs. Bennett had insisted that it be that large, and to find a perfectly flawless stone of that size took me quite a while. I'm sure she was furious when the necklace was stolen."

She studied the rest of the pictures. "I really don't see a particular pattern. They've taken ones with all different types of stones and styles. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help with that."

"No, you've been extremely helpful," Veronica reassured her.

Sylvia described a few of the other necklaces in the pictures in more detail to Veronica, pointing out things that were rare or unique and Veronica wrote down all the information in her notebook.

When she was finished, Sylvia gave Logan another warm hug and told them they needed to come and visit her again soon. Veronica thanked her for all of her help and soon they were on their way out of her shop to head back to the Sheriff's Office and City Hall.

"You promise you're not going to go looking for these fences on your own right?" Logan asked as soon as they'd gotten back in the Benz.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, "I promise I won't go tracking down any fences in dark alleys by myself."

Logan narrowed his eyes at her, "Don't try using technicalities to get out of this one Veronica. I don't want you tracking them down in the middle of downtown Neptune on the brightest sunny day by yourself either. You'll go with one of the deputies if you're dealing with fences, right?"

"Right," she replied and gave him a reassuring nod. He watched her carefully for a few seconds before finally starting the car.

"I think we need a rule that if the person you're talking to could be any type of criminal, you'll have a deputy with you, even if they might not be someone you'd consider a _dangerous_ criminal." He said firmly as he started to drive.

"Logan," she replied with a bit of exasperation in her tone. "I think that's a bit extreme. I promised I wouldn't go off on my own into a dangerous situation, but I'm not sure I can promise what you're asking here." She watched as he tightened his jaw and kept his gaze straight ahead on the road. She sat there in silence fidgeting with the strap on her purse for a few minutes, glancing over at him every few seconds to see if his posture or expression had changed. She finally let out a sigh and then spoke again, "I can't promise that I might not end up talking to someone on my own who later turns out to be a criminal if they didn't seem suspicious from the start. You have to understand that, right?" She watched him carefully and still didn't see any change, "Think back to some of the cases I've dealt with Logan. The TA in my criminology class? The campus security guards who held up the casino? Even Mrs. Hauser ended up being a thief." _Definitely not going to bring up Cassidy or Mercer. _"None of those people ever seemed like a criminal when I first met them, so you have to understand why I can't promise that. I can promise I won't knowingly go and talk to someone like a fence without a deputy or at least some other backup though."

He finally took what sounded like a frustrated breath and turned for a moment to look at her. He was just pulling into the parking lot at the Sheriff's Office and found a spot and turned off the car. He sat for a few more seconds staring straight ahead before he finally pulled his hands off the wheel and turned to face her. "Why did you say some other backup rather than just a deputy?"

She gave him a half smile, "Sometimes I might need an unofficial person who isn't going to scare whoever I need to talk to. I was thinking either you or my dad when I said that."

He sighed again and the corner of his lip turned up slightly, but his brows were still furrowed. "I just want you to be safe, you know?" He reached over and ran his hand down the side of her head gently.

She nodded and smiled lovingly at him, "I know, but you can't ask me not to do my job either Logan. I promise I don't plan on taking any unnecessary risks though."

She could tell he was starting to feel a little better, though there was still some underlying concern on his face. She unbuckled her seat belt and sat up in her seat so she could reach him better. She put her hands on both sides of his cheeks and pulled his face closer to hers. "I love you and don't want to fight with you about this, okay?" She placed a soft kiss on his lips and pulled back slightly so she could see him. "I will try to be as careful as I can Logan, and you need to trust me to do that."

He nodded and leaned in and kissed her again. He rested his head gently against her forehead. "I just couldn't handle it if something bad happens to you Veronica."

"I know, and I really don't want anything bad to happen to me either," She said in a soft voice. "Thanks for having lunch with me and taking me to see Sylvia." He nodded and kissed her again, much deeper than before. When he kissed her like he was just then, it was as if he was trying to physically convey all his love for her without any words and feel her own love back for him. She hoped it was enough to give him the strength he needed to trust her not to do something she shouldn't.

He'd parked in the side lot where the other officers parked their personal cars and where the cruisers were kept. The visitor spaces were located in the front of the building. Since it was getting close to 2pm, there weren't any other officers coming back from lunch or on shift change yet. The empty space he'd taken was between Norris's SUV and a Minivan driven by one of the other officers. When they finally broke the kiss, Veronica breathlessly whispered, "Don't go anywhere," then opened her door. Logan watched her with a confused expression, until she came around to his side and opened the door. He looked up at her unsure of what she wanted him to do, but his question was quickly answered by her climbing in and straddling him and shutting the door.

There was a high hedge wall that ran along the front of the parking spaces and with the narrow back window of the Benz, she knew no one would actually be able to see them. She had fortuitously chosen to wear a skirt today, rather than her usual dress slacks, and sucked in a quick breath as she felt Logan's warm fingers run up her thighs.

"V'ronica," he whispered against her cheek as she moved her head closer to his. She could tell by his tone that he wasn't sure this was such a great idea. Considering their past personalities, that seemed absolutely ironic to her.

"Shhhh," she whispered as she pressed her lips against his. She didn't really want to talk, she just wanted to feel him, show him what she could never really seem to convey properly in words. That he really was her whole world now and the one thing that mattered most. But she also knew that words were so important to him too. "I love you so much," she said softly as her lips moved along his jaw toward his ear. "I just really needed to feel you close to me." 

She felt the tension that had been in his body start to finally release. He moved one hand from her thigh, up across her back and held her tightly. He rested his head on her shoulder and tenderly kissed her neck. He pulled his head back so he could look at her face. His troubled expression had lessened and he was looking at her as if she were the most precious thing to him in the world. He moved his other hand from her thigh and gently pushed some strands of her hair off her face and rested his hand softly on her head.

She looked lovingly back at him and ran her fingers soothingly across his shoulders and up into his hair. She leaned in to kiss him again. The kiss quickly changed from a tender exchange, to something desperate and urgent. Logan's hands went back to her thighs and pulled her closer to him. It probably didn't help that she had also chosen to wear a thong with the skirt this morning. As his hands moved farther up her legs, she felt him push his hips up towards her and held her tighter so that she could easily feel just how badly he wanted her. She pulled away from his lips and smiled mischievously at him now, raising her eyebrows in a suggestive look. She leaned in toward him so she could whisper in his ear again. "You forgot to get me dessert," she purred in a low sultry voice, her lips just grazing the edge of his ear. She heard a low groan escape him, as she reached down and unzipped his slacks.

"Mmm, I can't send you back to work unsatisfied, now can I?" he said breathlessly. She felt him tremble as she shifted her skirt and thong so she could slide onto him.

"No, I demand satisfaction," she said against his mouth as she looked intently into his deep brown eyes and smiled seductively at him. He moved one hand back up into her hair and pressed their lips together, kissing her deeply as their bodies started to move fervidly together. He could feel her gasps and moans, silenced by his mouth covering hers.

When they were finished, he rested his forehead against hers and chuckled softly. "I can't believe you did that," he said still trying to catch his breath.

She laughed back, "Hey buddy, I don't think I was the only participant!" She leaned back and ran her fingers across his forehead and slightly ruffled his short hair. She smiled happily at him and then leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips, pulling back again to see his face. "Thanks for the fabulous dessert," she said with a little wink.

He shook his head and kissed her quickly as well. "Anything for my Bobcat." His blissful smile faltered a bit, obviously remembering their prior conversation. "Try to stay out of trouble the rest of the afternoon, okay."

She nodded and then climbed out of the car, strategically fixing her skirt as she did. She leaned back in as he finished adjusting himself and zipping back up his pants. "I love you Logan." She gave him another kiss, and then stood up and gave him a little wave as she turned to go back into the Sheriff's office.

"I love you too," she heard him say as she had started walking off. She glanced one more time over her shoulder at him and smiled before continuing on to the building.


	6. Chapter 6 - Bluffing

**A/N: I think this has been my favorite chapter so far, so I'm really excited to finally get to post it! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think about it in the comments!**

**I also discovered that AO3 has a "No Fandom" tag and so decided to post the first story I wrote much earlier this year before I jumped into trying LoVe Fan Fiction. It's partly inspired by Colin O'Donoghue/Captain Hook on Once Upon a Time, but not directly about either thing. But it's obvious in the story that there's a HUGE amount of similarities to one of the main characters (personality, not real life) and him. It's called "Charmed Irish Life" and you can find it under my other stories over on AO3. Luckily it's the only story with that title, so it's easy to search for it. And since it was really the very first thing I wrote and haven't really gone back and spent a lot of time editing, there may still be some rough spots, but thought I'd post it anyway. I don't think FF has a No Fandom option, but if I figure out it does, I could post it over here too.**

**Oh and one other thing! I wrote a short 2 chapter LoVe story too (had a little idea pop in my head and decided to just write it so I could focus back on this story again without it bouncing around in my head too). I'll probably post the first chapter tomorrow or Sunday, so keep an eye out for it and I'll remind you all again when I post the next chapter here.**

**Thanks again to everyone who's been reading along and leaving comments. I really do appreciate them all!**

**Disclaimer: The VM characters still belong to Rob Thomas (wish they were mine though)**

Chapter 6 - Bluffing

When Veronica made it back to her office, she decided she'd give her old pal Cliff a call and see if he might be familiar with some of the fences around Neptune. She really didn't think it would be a good idea to take a uniformed deputy with her to talk with them if he did know one, but she did agree with Logan that it probably wouldn't be wise for her to go alone either. She wasn't even sure if Cliff would know any fences, so until she found that out, she wasn't going to worry about the logistics of meeting up with them. She also wondered whether Weevil might still have some connections of that type. She decided if Cliff wasn't able to give her any leads that maybe she could find out something from him at the poker game.

An overly cheerful woman's voice greeted her as the call was answered. "Cliff McCormack's office, how can I help you?"

"I'd like to speak with Cliff please," Veronica replied hoping he was available.

"I'm sorry, but he's in court this afternoon. I can take a message and have him return your call." Veronica sighed and left her name and number with Cliff's assistant.

Veronica headed over to the Neptune Elite Reality Office to meet with Mr. Branford. The office was located in a newly renovated part of downtown. The building had modern architecture and the interior was decorated with the most exquisite furnishings. Veronica sat on a plush couch as she waited to be seen by Mr. Branford. There were portfolios on the table for clients to look through to see the recent listings. Veronica glanced through one of the portfolios as she waited. Some of the listings made even Logan's house look like a shabby abode.

She'd made it through a quarter of the portfolio when she was called by the receptionist and escorted into Mr. Branford's office. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Mr. Branford." Veronica said politely as she took the seat he'd gestured to.

"Please call me Mike," he said with a flirtatious smile. "I must say I wasn't expecting such a charming young woman when my receptionist told me an investigator from the sheriff's office was stopping by."

Veronica tried not to let her disgust show and remained as professional as possible. She couldn't help but think about how this guy reminder her of Dick Senior, which made her skin crawl. "Your wife wasn't able to answer a few of my questions and suggested I talk with you." She pulled the list of names from her bag and asked if he could double check that there weren't any other people who would have had some sort of access to their house that were left off.

He was still gazing at her as if she was barely dressed as he took the list from her. "We do occasionally have parties at our house to help new clients get introduced to other families in Neptune so it would be really hard to give you a complete list of everyone who had been there during the time the necklace disappeared. You should come join us at our next party, I'm sure you'd have a great time."

Veronica had to work hard to keep her lunch down. "Do you keep any sort of guest lists?"

"I can have my receptionist print out a list of the colleagues that I generally invite. Of course we encourage them to bring their families along as well, so there would be other family members with them too."

He pushed the intercom button on his phone and sweetly asked Deirdre to print off the list for him.

"I also wanted to ask if anyone else would know the combination to your safe. Perhaps Elise or Christine?" Veronica decided to go with first names for both the au pair and the fired maid to see if that got him to be more open with her. She noticed a quick flash of something in his expression, but whatever it may have been was quickly gone.

"No, only Vicky and I have the combination."

"How about your children?" Veronica asked with a curious expression.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, I may have told Emma the combination once. She was pestering me to look at her mom's necklaces one afternoon when I was tied up on the phone and I told her as long as she didn't take them out of the closet, she could look at them. But that was months before the necklace went missing and I personally helped her put them all back in their cases when she was finished. I sort of doubt she'd remember the combination though. She'd also know better than to ever get them out without asking permission. Our daughters are very well behaved."

_I'm sure they're perfect angels._ "How old are your daughters?"

"Emma is 9, almost 10, and Chloe is 7. And we did ask them if they'd seen the necklace when it first went missing, and they wouldn't lie to us about that." Veronica nodded to let him know she understood, whether or not she actually believed it was another thing. "Could Emma have told Christine or Elise the combination that day?"

"Elise was taking Chloe to a play date or birthday party, or something like that, which is why I was home alone with Emma. Christine only worked part time and she wasn't there that day either." He replied, still leering at her.

"Was there a specific reason that you suspected Christine of taking the necklace initially?" Veronica asked, watching to see what his reaction would be.

Mr. Branford's expression became a bit annoyed, "That was all Vicky, not me. I never thought for a moment she would have taken it. Vicky didn't care for Christine and let that cloud her judgment."

"I'm sure Christine probably wasn't very happy about being fired though, maybe she did take it if she realized that was coming as a way to get even?" Veronica asked curiously.

Mr. Branford chuckled softly, "Christine wouldn't do that. I helped her get a position working here with one of the other members of our firm who stage houses for showing, so I think she's actually much happier here than she was being our maid."

_I wonder if Mrs. Branford knows about her new employment status._ Veronica again just smiled and nodded. Veronica asked a few more questions, then thanked Mr. Branford for the list and left. As she was walking to her car, she noticed she had missed a call while she was in his office, since she'd turned her ringer off. She checked her voicemail when she got into her car and smiled as she heard Cliff's familiar dulcet voice.

"Calling for legal advice?" Cliff teased as he answered her return call. "I could refer you to a _good_ lawyer."

Veronica laughed, "Actually I'm looking for a fence."

Now it was Cliff who laughed, "Why am I not surprised. Is that consulting gig at the Sheriff's Office not paying enough?"

"You know, I've become accustomed to a certain standard of higher living, and need to get some fast cash," Veronica teased back.

"Alright V, what's the real story?" He asked with a more serious tone.

"I'm working on the stolen jewelry cases and was hoping you might know some of the fences who operate around Neptune."

"Ah, well I suppose I would seem like a likely candidate for someone who might. Unfortunately the last one I represented didn't fare too well and he's serving time at the state penitentiary now and I heard the one before that met an untimely end." He heard Veronica sigh over the phone. "But let me make a few calls and I'll see if I can come up with something for you."

"Thanks Cliffy!" Veronica said in a chipper tone. "You're the best!"

"Yeah, yeah." Cliff answered, "Nice to have you back home again kiddo. I'll be in touch."

Veronica headed back to the Sheriff's department and spent some time looking through the guest list that Mr. Branford had given her. She noticed the names of a few other families that had also had jewelry stolen from them, including the Taylor's and the Jenkins. She also noticed Grant Whitman was on the list, as well as Mark Martinelli the jeweler.

She heard her phone ring and saw Logan's name come up on her screen, "Hey Romeo, what's up?"

He chuckled, "I thought I'd moved on from Romeo to Prince Charming yesterday after my daring rescue of you from the sleeping curse."

"While you are very charming, I think I'm going to stick with Romeo since you're such a great lover," she said in a sultry voice into the phone, "also considering the fact that I'm no Snow White." She heard him choke slightly, clearly not expecting that response. A sly grin spread across her face, satisfied with throwing him off his game.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of your call to?" She asked with a bit of laughter in her voice.

"I was calling to see what our plans were for dinner. Dick texted me to see if we wanted to come over early and eat with them before the poker game," He paused a moment, "but now you've got me all worked up and I'm thinking I'll just decline for us instead."

"Not a chance buddy!" Veronica smiled into the phone, "You won't get any lovin' from this Bobcat unless she's properly fed. You know the rules."

He laughed "Fine, I'll let him know we'll be there. I'm about to head home now, you?"

"Yep, I'm about done here for the day too. See you there soon." Veronica took another quick look at her board of information for the jewelry case, before closing up her office and heading home.

After meeting at home and getting changed, they headed over to Mac and Dick's in the Benz. Mac greeted them at the door and gave Veronica a quick hug first. "Dick's out at the grill getting it ready to cook for us," she said as she took a step back from Veronica and looked at Logan. He couldn't help but stare at her stomach now after what Veronica had told him. Veronica rolled her eyes as she noticed.

"Hey Speedy," He said as he realized what he was doing and looked up at her face instead. He reached in and gave her a quick overly gently hug. Mac gave Veronica a suspicious look, to which she just shrugged, and then Mac closed the door.

They followed Mac toward the kitchen. "I was going to take this tray of steaks and veggie burgers out to Dick," Mac said as she went to pick a large tray up from the counter, "I'll be right back, if you two want to just hang out in here."

"That looks a little heavy," Logan said nervously reaching for the tray, "I'll take it out there for you." Mac shot Veronica another look as Logan grabbed the tray and quickly headed out to the patio.

"Veronica!" Mac said in exasperation as soon as he was gone. "What did you tell him?"

Veronica shrugged and smiled innocently at her. "It was actually Logan who told me you'd been feeling a bit sick when you were in his office yesterday morning."

Mac rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I should have known better than to try to keep anything from you."

Veronica's grin grew even larger. "I knew it!" She yelled out triumphantly.

Mac just shook her head. "Please don't say anything to anyone else though," she asked with a sincere look on her face. "We were waiting until after the wedding to tell everyone else." She sighed, "Dick's being all old fashioned about it and really wants to be married before we share the news."

Veronica was a bit shocked by that. "Dick?"

Mac nodded, "Yes, Dick wants to wait. We didn't expect it to happen so quickly once we decided to try, so it sort of threw our plans off a bit." Veronica saw Mac's smile get bigger. It was very easy to tell she was really excited about it.

"So you planned it? It wasn't a surprise?" Veronica was still having a hard time with the idea of Dick as a dad, and having it be intentional was even harder for her to wrap her head around.

Mac gave her a little glare, "Yes, we planned it." She shook her head, "I know you might find it a little hard to believe, but we really are excited about it."

Veronica shrugged. "Your thing with Dick," she gestured toward the patio door with her hands, then back at Mac, "I'm still getting used to all of that."

Mac gave her a slightly sympathetic look, "I know. I really should have told you about it a long time ago."

Veronica asked if there was anything she could help her with for dinner and Mac pointed her to a loaf of French bread to slice for her. "So, I was surprised to hear that Leo was bringing Emily as his date," Mac added a few minutes later. "Dick said you met her at Hearst on Tuesday?"

Veronica nodded, "Yes, today really is going to be an epic day of awkwardness." She chuckled at herself before continuing. "We even had lunch with Casey and Alexis. Then we get to spend tonight with another one of Logan's exes plus Piz."

Mac laughed, "Wow, at least you'll get your fill of awkward all out of the way for the week." She paused a moment then added, "Oh wait, there's still Saturday night." She gave Veronica an evil little grin.

Veronica just laughed and shook her head.

"So you're okay about hanging out with Emily tonight then?" Mac asked curiously.

"She seemed really nice when I met her with Leo and I actually talked to her yesterday at the hospital a little bit too. I can't say I quite see her and Logan being a very good match though, maybe that's why it doesn't really bother me. What did you think of her?"

Mac glanced quickly toward the patio to be sure neither guy was headed back in. "I only met her a couple of times, but yeah, I never really thought there was that much chemistry between them. She seemed to really like Logan, but he'd just split with Alexis and I think he was more looking for a nice girl to hang out with rather than anything too serious. Her departure from Neptune seemed really abrupt too, and I don't know all the details there either."

"Yeah, while I can't see her and Logan clicking, I can totally picture her with Leo. The two of them seem to have that super sweet vibe down to a tee. Of course it's still a bit awkward, but I'm getting to be a pro at that lately. I guess I was more worried about the awkwardness of Piz being here tonight than her."

"You never saw him again after you left for the FBI internship?" Mac asked curiously.

Veronica shook her head. "No, once we split up right before I left, well that was pretty much the end of it."

Mac grimaced a little, "Yeah, well hopefully things won't get too crazy tonight."

Veronica helped Mac get the rest of the meal ready, and soon the two guys came back in with the grilled food. Dick set the food on the table, and then went over to give Mac a kiss. Logan was watching them, while Veronica watched him. Logan was staring at Mac's stomach again, and it didn't help that when Dick went over to kiss her he'd put his hand right on her stomach and lovingly rubbed it. Veronica shook her head and walked over and poked Logan in the side. His eyes shot from Mac's stomach to Veronica's eyes, with a terribly guilty look on his face. "You really aren't very subtle, are you?" Veronica whispered to him.

Mac caught the look on Logan's face and heard what Veronica had whispered. She shook her head at him. "Babe, your BFF and Veronica apparently know our little secret," she said to Dick.

Dick's expression changed to an excited and proud grin. "Dude, isn't it awesome?" he asked looking at Logan. Logan still had a deer caught in the headlights look and could only nod his head in reply.

"So when's this Casablancas bundle of joy due?" Veronica asked with a playful grin on her face.

"Late May," Mac replied, moving over and taking a seat at the table. Dick gave her one more kiss on the cheek before sitting down next to her. Veronica had taken the seat closest to Mac and Logan was still standing in the same spot.

"Are you joining us?" Veronica asked with a small laugh when she realized he still hadn't moved. He nodded and sat down next to Veronica. She shook her head and looked back at Mac. "I think he's having a harder time with this than I am."

Mac gave him a sympathetic smile, "I promise you're not going to lose your BFF, Logan." She said in a teasing tone.

Dick chuckled, "That's not why he's so freaked out about it." He had a devious grin on his face as he reached for a piece of French bread.

Logan shot him a warning look and shook his head. Both women turned to look at Logan with their eyebrows raised.

"So what are you freaked out about, Logan?" Veronica asked in a sweet tone with her head tilted to try to ensure she got an answer.

Dick laughed again and Logan's expression became even more annoyed. "It's nothing," Logan said as he took a drink of the ice tea that Mac had poured for him and stared at his plate.

The women looked back at Dick, who had an evil smile on his face. He leaned closer to the women, as they heard Logan groan behind them. "Logan lost a bet. It was shortly after Elijah was born and Weevil was taking care of him and had to change a really nasty diaper when he'd stopped by the house. Logan and I were playing pool, and we bet that the loser would have to change diapers for the winner for a month if either of us ever had kids."

Mac smiled broadly and laughed, "Pack your bags mister! We'll set up the guest room for your stay. I'm sure Veronica won't mind."

Logan grumbled something under his breath and went about cutting up his steak. Veronica was laughing at him as well. "So that's why you were so freaked out last night when we talked about it too! I didn't realize you were so easy to hustle. First karaoke and now this. I'll have to remember that the next time I really want you to do something."

"Ah, we missed another karaoke debt pay-off?" Mac asked sadly.

Veronica smiled mischievously and Logan reached for her hand quickly. "Veronica!"

She gave him an innocent look, to which he scowled. Mac immediately caught on. "There's video isn't there?"

"No!" Logan blurted out quickly while Veronica just laughed softly at him.

"Come on dude," Dick joined in, "it's not like we haven't seen you embarrass yourself up there at least a half dozen times already. How bad could it be? She didn't make you sing Material Girl again did she?"

Veronica was taking a drink of wine as Dick spoke and practically spit it out. "Material Girl?" she asked incredulously.

Dick nodded gleefully. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he said with a suggestive leer.

Mac laughed at him and shook her head while Veronica's expression changed to one of genuine interest.

"I thought you deleted that from your phone?" Logan asked with a slight glare.

"Do you really think Speedy wouldn't have all my stuff backed up to the cloud?" Dick asked with a smirk.

Logan let out an exasperated sigh. He waved his hand in the air in a carry-on motion, obviously giving up on trying to stop them all. He turned back to his plate with a pout on his face.

Mac must have felt a little guilty. "We should at least wait until we are done with dinner before we embarrass Logan."

"Good call babe," Dick agreed, "then we can go to the media room and play it on the big screen."

Logan groaned softly and shook his head. "I'm glad I have such caring friends."

Veronica leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Ah, you know we love you."

Veronica noticed a bit later Logan seemed to be eating slowly to delay them. "You know if you take too long, some of the others might show up to enjoy the videos too."

"I'm done," he announced and stood up taking his plate to the kitchen. The other three laughed at him and followed him with their own plates to the kitchen. After Logan rinsed off his plate and put it on the counter, he went into the living room and flopped down on the couch.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Mac asked as the rest of them walked into the room on their way to the media room.

"No," Logan sulked. "I'll just wait here in case any of your other guests arrive and get the door. I'd rather not be there for the humiliation."

"Oh come on," Veronica said with an encouraging smile. "I saw you sing last night, and that was anything but humiliating."

A small smile formed on the corner of his lips, but he still took a deep breath and shook his head.

"We can play your duet with Dick, if that makes you feel any better," Mac added.

Logan laughed. "How is that suppose to make me feel better? I was up there too you know?"

"Duet?" Veronica asked with a curious expression on her face.

Mac laughed, "Yeah, they both lost to Heather and she made them sing 'I Got You Babe' together."

Veronica laughed, but then tried to hide her obvious amusement at the thought. "Come on," she went over and grabbed Logan's hand and tried tugging him off the couch, but with his weight advantage she couldn't budge him. She gave him a pout and her head tilt, "Please," she whined at him.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Fine," he finally said with a huff and stood up off the couch. He followed the other three into the media room and within a couple minutes, Mac had already synched Veronica's phone up to their system and the video from the prior night was playing.

Logan tried to sit off to the side by himself, but Veronica pulled him over by her and wrapped her arm lovingly around his shoulder as they watched. "Hot," she whispered in his ear as it played. She could tell he was starting to blush and he looked down at the ground instead of watching the screen. She kissed his cheek and nuzzled her face against his. "It's not bad at all Logan. I don't know why you're so embarrassed."

When it was over Mac clapped her hands. "Heather was being awfully kind to you last night!" She said in surprise. "Especially compared to 'Material Girl', "I got you Babe', 'Call Me Maybe' and several of the other songs she's made you do."

"Yeah dude!" Dick added, "She even picked a guy song for you. How'd you get so lucky?"

Logan shrugged and smirked a bit. He knew Heather was being nice because Veronica was there, but he wasn't going to say it. Veronica gave him a knowing smile though. Once she heard some of the other songs he'd been stuck singing, she knew Heather did it for her.

Mac pulled up the duet next, to which they were all laughing hard by the time it was over. They explained to Veronica how Dick had lost a coin flip and had to do the girl parts. After it was over they watched Logan's rendition of Material Girl. Logan didn't find it quite as funny as the other three did, but tried to remain a good sport about it. Veronica gave him a loving kiss when it was over to try to cheer him up. He gave her a half-smile, but still seemed a bit annoyed that they'd shared the videos with her.

The doorbell rang right after Material Girl finished, so they shut off the system to go and greet their guests. Mac promised Logan she wouldn't share it with any of the other guests and he mouthed a silent 'thank you' to her in return.

Mac and Dick led the way to the door, followed by Veronica and Logan. As the door opened, a dark haired little boy ran in first, and once he saw Logan made a straight line for him.

"Unka Wogan," the little boy said with a big smile on his face as he reached out his arms for Logan to scoop him up.

"Hey Tiger!" Logan said with a big grin as he lifted Elijah up and gave him a big hug. "How's my favorite little man?"

Their happy little reunion was interrupted by Carmen and Weevil arguing.

"I really don't think we should be here Carmen," Weevil was insisting as she seemed to just ignore him and give Mac a big hug. She was headed for Veronica and Logan, when she stopped in mid step and made a grimaced face and then took a deep breath and continued toward them.

"It's just Braxton Hicks, Eli," she said in a curt angry tone, as she forced a smile on her face and hugged Veronica.

Weevil let out a frustrated sigh and rolled his eyes. "That's what you said with Elijah and the next thing I know, there was water all over the kitchen floor and we were rushing to the hospital. Have you forgotten that?" His tone matched hers in level of irritation.

When he finished both Logan and Dick's eyes became huge and stared at the space below where she was standing.

"It's fine," she snapped back again. "I feel fine. My due date isn't until next week, so there's nothing to worry about." She grimaced again and took a breath then snapped out, "Braxton Hicks!"

Veronica shot Mac a glance as well too, that obviously was one of pure panic.

"Come on Carmen," Mac said soothingly, let's find you some place comfortable to sit.

"Preferably out on the patio," Dick said in a quiet voice. Mac elbowed him hard before walking off and taking Carmen into the living room.

"Shit, she'd better not let her sit in my favorite chair," Dick said under his breath, though loud enough for Veronica and Weevil to hear. Weevil just gave him an angry glare, and shook his head.

"I tried talking her out of coming, but you know how she can be," Weevil let out another frustrated sigh, "Really dude, I apologize in advance if something happens." Dick's expression became even more worried.

Weevil glanced over at Elijah and Logan. "He was super stoked when he heard you were going to be here man," he said with a little smile. Logan smiled back and then set Elijah down on the ground.

"Hi Elijah," Veronica said to the adorable little mini-Weevil. Elijah realized he didn't know Veronica and grabbed a hold of Logan's leg, trying to hide behind him.

"Hey buddy," Logan said soothingly, then reached down and picked him back up, "This is my girlfriend, Veronica. She's really nice, I promise."

Elijah gave her a little smile, but clung tightly to Logan's chest. "Hi," he whispered in a small voice.

Weevil reached for the bag that he'd carried in over his shoulder. "I brought in your bag with your cars that you wanted to show Uncle Logan, remember?" Elijah's smile returned and the bashful look temporarily disappeared.

"Cars?" Logan asked with a friendly smile, "Did you see my new car in the drive way when you got here?"

Elijah nodded and a big smile spread across his face. "Daddy showed me. I wike it."

"Thanks buddy," Logan said as he ruffled his hair and set him back down again, "Your turn to show me your new cars too." Elijah reached over and took the bag from Weevil. "And hey, I think I have something for you too." Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out a little car that was almost identical to the Benz he'd just bought. Veronica eyed him suspiciously with a sly smile. She remembered the day at the dealers, there had been some little mini versions of the cars in the guy's office, and Logan had been looking at them and must have conned the salesman into throwing one in as part of the deal.

"Thank you Unka Wogan!" Elijah squealed as he took it.

Weevil rolled his eyes at Logan. "Dude, he already loves you. You don't need to keep bribing him to be your friend you know."

Elijah grabbed Logan's hand and started dragging him toward the game room. "Wet's go wook at my cars," he said as he pulled Logan behind him. Dick laughed and said he was going to go grab some drinks and snacks for the game, and headed toward the kitchen.

"Hey, Weevil," Veronica said taking advantage of a few minutes alone with him. "There was something I wanted to ask you about."

"Sure V, what's up?" Weevil asked, though he'd turned so he could look in at Mac and Carmen to check up on her.

"Um," She hesitated not knowing exactly how to ask and squished up her nose for a second. "I wondered if you might know any fences."

That snapped Weevil's attention away from Carmen and back to her. "Excuse me? What did you just say?"

"Fences, do you know any fences?"

"That's what I thought you said, but I didn't think I heard you right." Weevil said with a confused look on his face. "You do know I have a legitimate job now, right?"

"I know," she said with a sigh, "I just wondered if you might know anyone from the old days. It's for the big jewelry theft case that I'm working on."

"Ah, well that makes more sense. I was wondering if you were planning on selling some of Echoll's Rolexes or something." He gave her a little wink.

"Well?" She asked, getting a little impatient because she really didn't want to have the same conversation from earlier with Logan again and wanted to avoid him overhearing them taking about it.

"I can't say that I do, but I could ask around a little if you want." He had a slightly reluctant look on his face though.

"Thanks Weevil, that would be great."

"You'd owe me a favor though," he said with a little smirk.

"Yeah, of course. Did you have something specific in mind?"

He nodded, "Yep, favors these days come in the form of baby sitting services."

She laughed, "Well Elijah seems pretty fond of Logan, so maybe he can fulfill my debt for me."

"Works for me," Weevil said with a smile. His smile quickly faltered as he heard a larger grunt come from Carmen in the other room. "Damn it. Why does she have to be so damn stubborn?"

"Was that a rhetorical question?" Veronica asked with a confused smirk on her face.

He just glared at her and shook his head and turned to go check on Carmen.

The doorbell rang as Weevil was walking off, and Veronica called out that she'd get it. This time it was Leo and Emily at the door.

"Welcome," Veronica said with a cheerful smile as she closed the door behind them. The three of them walked into the living room to join the others. Weevil had already moved on to join Dick in the kitchen. They'd caught the tail end of him and Carmen still arguing, and then Carmen angrily shooing him away.

"Hi Leo," Carmen said with a friendly smile, and then she looked at Emily for an introduction.

"Hi, I'm Emily," Emily said as she saw the questioning look from Carmen.

"Emily's a pediatric nurse at Neptune General," Veronica added.

"See Eli, there's nothing to worry about!" Carmen yelled toward the kitchen. "We've got the Sheriff and a Nurse here!"

"Great!" Weevil yelled sarcastically back from the kitchen.

Emily and Leo both looked a bit confused, but Carmen just carried on as if everything was perfectly normal. "So where did you go to nursing school Emily?" Veronica noticed that Carmen seemed to be acting a bit strange and talking even faster than normal.

"UCLA," Emily answered with a slightly concerned smile.

"One of my cousins went to nursing school at SDSU," Carmen continued on. "She's working at one of the hospitals in San Diego now." She cringed again and then smiled at them all.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, starting to get a bit concerned about Carmen's obvious level of discomfort.

"Yeah, Carmen," Mac added, "How long were you planning to torment your poor husband?"

Veronica gave Mac a confused look.

"Well he really pissed me off," Carmen rattled on. "Coming home and telling me I couldn't come over here tonight. Who does he think he is? Telling his pregnant wife what she can't do."

"While I'm sure Emily or Leo could probably help deliver the baby, wouldn't you really rather go to the hospital for that?" Mac asked in a soothing tone.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sure I still have a few hours to go, but you're probably right that we should go soon. I wish I had a picture of Dick and Logan's face though when Eli mentioned my water breaking. That was priceless." Carmen chuckled slightly.

"So not Braxton Hicks?" Veronica asked, finally catching up with what seemed to be going on.

"No, my water broke right before he got home. But then he pissed me off and so I told him that it was just Braxton Hicks." Carmen had a devious smile on her face. "I'd called Mac earlier about having Elijah stay over when we went to the hospital, so we had to stop by anyway."

Emily and Leo seemed a bit alarmed, but didn't say anything and just continued to listen to the other three. Obviously her contractions were still spread out fairly far apart.

"Eli!" Carmen yelled to the kitchen. "Can you go and get Elijah for me?"

Weevil let out a frustrated sigh, and marched back to the game room, bringing out Elijah, followed closely by Logan.

"Hey baby," Carmen said as Elijah walked over by where she was sitting. "Remember what we talked about earlier?' He nodded and smiled. "Okay, you be really good for Aunt Mackie and I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Weevil's expression changed from annoyance to one of complete confusion.

"Well just don't stand there," Carmen barked at him. "Go get Elijah's car seat and overnight bag from the car."

"I knew it wasn't just Braxton Hicks," he grumbled as he quickly walked out of the room and headed back to the front door. He mumbled a few other words under his breath in Spanish, but the others couldn't quite make out what he said.

"I wuv you Mommy," Elijah said and gave her a hug and a kiss. "Can I go back and pway with Unka Wogan now?"

"Yeah baby. I love you too." Carmen said with a loving smile on her face. Elijah smiled and ran back over to Logan. Logan had given a quick wave to Leo and Emily before Elijah grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward the game room again.

Mac helped Carmen up out of her chair and she gave Mac and Veronica hugs good bye and promised to have Weevil keep Mac up to date on what was going on. Weevil had returned from the car and set Elijah's stuff by the door, and then went to help Carmen toward the front door.

"Good luck!" Logan yelled to the couple before he disappeared into the game room with Elijah. "Keep me posted Weevil."

Dick had come to join them from the kitchen and gave Carmen a quick hug too. "Thanks for not gooshing all over our living room." He said as he released her. Mac was standing next too him and smacked him on the shoulder. "I mean, good luck!" Mac just shook her head and rolled her eyes at him. "We'll take good care of little Eli while you're there," Dick added as he opened the door for them.

Carmen smiled and nodded and then gave one last quick wave before they disappeared out to their car.

"Well that was an eventful start to our evening," Veronica announced as Dick closed the door.

"Never a dull moment at Casa de Casablancas," Dick said with a chuckle.


	7. Chapter 7 - High Stakes

**A/N - I hope you all enjoy the second half of the poker night. As always, I really appreciate all the comments and everyone who reads my story. I haven't had as much time to write lately, so my updates might shift to being more like once a week now rather than twice, but hopefully I can keep up with at least once a week.**

**Disclaimer: The VM characters still belong to Rob Thomas (wish they were mine though)**

Chapter 7 – High Stakes

"I'm going to go and check on Logan and Elijah," Veronica said after Weevil and Carmen left. Mac gave her a little nod and headed back to check on Leo and Emily who they'd left in the living room when they walked Carmen and Weevil to the door.

When Veronica walked into the game room, she found Logan and Elijah sitting on the floor in front of the large couch. They had all of the cars that Elijah had brought with him spread out on the coffee table and they where setting up a track to play with them on. Veronica took a seat on the floor next to Logan. He gave her an adoring smile and leaned closer and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Can I play too?" Veronica asked Elijah in as friendly of a voice as she possibly could.

He gave her an uncertain look, and then looked at Logan. Logan smiled at him and nodded. "kay," Elijah said in a tentative quiet voice.

"Thanks," Veronica replied cheerily. "Which car's your favorite?"

Elijah looked uncertainly at her, then picked up the new one Logan had just given him and held it up so she could see it.

"I really like that one too," Veronica answered trying to get Elijah to warm up to her.

Elijah gave her a very small smile, then turned back to Logan. "Juice?" Elijah asked him.

"You want to go get some juice? Sure buddy," Logan said and ruffled his hair. "I'm sure Aunt Mackie has some for you." Elijah smiled broadly at Logan and then hopped up and ran out of the room.

"I don't think he likes me," Veronica said with a little pout, reaching up to play with one of the cars. She slowly rolled it forward and back on the table.

Logan gave her a sympathetic smile, then grabbed her and pulled her into his lap. "Well I'm a big fan of yours." He gave her a kiss on the lips then tapped her nose with his finger. "He'll come around. He just takes a little time to warm up to new people." She snuggled her head against his shoulder and sighed. He kissed her forehead and tipped his head down below hers so he could see her face better. "Are you actually pouting?"

"No," she said in a slightly whiny voice. He laughed and kissed her head again. "He just likes you so much and seems afraid of me," she added with a sigh.

"Just give him time," he said with a sly smile, "plus bribery works really well too."

"You got another car hidden in one of those pockets?" She gave him a mischievous smile and started to frisk him.

He started laughing and wiggling, and then started tickling her back in return. Dick walked into the room to put some snacks on the counter for the poker game and saw the two of them laughing and wiggling around on the floor in front of the couch. "Hey, no hanky panky down there," Dick said in a teasing voice, "We just had the carpet shampooed." He chuckled to himself finding his last comment funny.

"What happened to Elijah?" Logan asked Dick since he hadn't come back with his juice yet.

"Oh, he's sitting with Emily. She's reading him one of the books that Carmen left for him."

Veronica's expression changed to disgruntled. _Takes a while to warm up to new people, right._

Logan looked intently at her. He knew exactly what she was thinking. "Hey, Emily's a pediatric nurse. It's her job to get kids to trust and like her."

"I know," Veronica said with a bit of a pout. Logan helped her stand up, and then stood up himself. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and a reassuring smile.

They followed Dick back out to the main room. The doorbell rang as they reached the hall and Dick yelled that he'd get it and went to open the door. Wallace walked in first, followed by Cora and then Piz. Dick greeted them all briefly, and then started to head back toward the kitchen again.

Veronica wasn't surprised to see Piz looked different after all these years, but hadn't quite known what to expect. His hair was cut much shorter now, but most of the rest of him looked the same, just a little older.

Wallace and Cora had already said a quick hello to Logan who had been standing closer to them than Veronica. Wallace walked closer to Veronica to give her a quick hug. Cora also said hello to Veronica, and then started walking into the living room while Logan reached out to shake Piz's hand.

"Hey Mr. Mayor, nice to see you again," Piz said to Logan in a slightly drunken slur with a slight chuckle as he spoke. Logan raised his eyebrows and glanced back at Wallace who just shook his head.

"Did we start the party a little early?" Logan teased.

Piz laughed a little harder than called for and put his hand on Logan's shoulder, "I hate to fly man, and I may have ordered a fewwwww too many drinks on the plane." He held up his fingers as though trying to count how many he may have had, but just looked confused. "Wally just picked me up at the airport before we headed over here. Time to really get this party started, right man?" He laughed a bit again to himself, though it wasn't clear what exactly he found funny.

Logan nodded. Veronica was still just standing there watching the scene in front of her, feeling a bit detached, almost like watching a strange TV show.

"What brings you back to Neptune this time?" Logan asked, clearly amused by Piz's inebriated state.

"The sun!" Piz said gleefully while pointing up to the ceiling. "Shit man, it's November in Seattle. I grew up in Oregon and they say it rains a lot there, but I haven't seen the freaking sun in weeks." He laughed again. "The radio station I work for has a sister," he laughed again, "not actually a sister you know, but a sister station in San Diego, and one of the broadcasters is going out on maternity leave and so I snagged up that temporary assignment when I heard about it if it meant getting out of the rain." He paused and then laughed again, "her position at the station not her maternity leave."

Logan nodded and couldn't quite hide his amusement.

"Veronica?" Piz said in surprise, finally realizing that was who was standing next to Wallace apparently.

Wallace shook his head, "Dude, I told you she was going to be here."

"Right, right," Piz replied. "Hey nice to see you. You look really good." He staggered slightly over toward her and leaned like he was going to give her a hug, then awkwardly held out his hand instead. Veronica reached out and shook it, glancing over his shoulder at Logan, who still had the same smirk on his face. She squeaked out a small thank you and said it was nice to see him too.

"Come on man," Wallace said grabbing his arm and shaking his head, "let's get you some water or coffee or something." He dragged him off in the direction of the kitchen.

Logan chuckled quietly as they walked off. Veronica gave him a look that clearly expressed just how awkward she was feeling. Logan walked over and wrapped his arms around her and tried to look serious. "Gosh darling, I'm all jealous over that tremendous show of affection the two of you just shared. Am I going to need to keep a close eye on you all night to be sure he doesn't sweep you off your feet and run away with you?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Somehow I think if he tried to sweep me off my feet in the state he's in, we'd end up in a mangled heap on the ground."

"Well at least he should make an easy mark for Poker tonight," he replied with a little wink then he chuckled. "Not that he was ever good even when he was sober."

Veronica gave him a slightly scolding look at first, and then laughed too. She'd actually played poker with Piz once when they were dating and he really was one of the worst players she'd ever seen. "Maybe he's just trying to hustle you. You know, pretend he's drunk and then win all your money."

Logan laughed. "Yeah, I remember how that worked out for Duncan all those years ago." Veronica smiled and nodded.

The door bell rang again and Logan yelled out that he'd get it. This time it was Luke. He said a quick hello to Logan and Veronica and then headed off to find Dick in the kitchen.

Logan and Veronica walked into the living room to join the rest of the group. Elijah was still sitting in Emily's lap listening to the story she was reading to him. He was starting to look a little sleepy. Leo was sitting on the edge of the chair they were using watching over Emily's shoulder. One of his arms was draped across her shoulder and Veronica thought they made quite the perfect pair. Cora and Mac were sitting on the couch, talking about some wedding planning things. Mac had a brochure in her hands and was talking quietly to Cora so she wouldn't interrupt the story Emily was reading. Wallace had dragged Piz into the kitchen to get him something non-alcoholic to drink and they could hear Luke and Piz talking about some band Luke had recently seen in San Diego.

"Let's get this party started," Dick announced trying to get all the guys moving toward the game room to play poker.

"You're playing with us too right?" Logan asked Veronica as he reached over and grabbed her hand with his and twirled her back toward him. He had a halfway hopeful and halfway pleading sort of expression on his face.

She shrugged and gave him an uncertain look. Mac overheard the question and saw Veronica's uncertainty. "You should play if you want to Veronica. We're just going to hang out and talk for a while until Elijah is ready for bed and then we were going to watch a movie." She glanced over at Elijah who had just yawned and was looking even sleepier.

"Why don't I take him up to bed and read him one more quick story, and then I'll join you all at the poker table." Logan said with a warm smile. "Dick can get everyone cashed in and I'll be back down in no time."

Emily had reached the end of the story and closed the book.

"Hey buddy," Logan said softly, "are you ready to go to bed?"

Elijah looked up at him with his sleepy brown eyes and nodded his head. Logan walked over and reached out his arms and Elijah reached up for him to pick him up.

"Good night sweetie," Mac said as they walked by her.

Veronica was really surprised how comfortable Logan was with Elijah. They'd talked a little bit about him during the last couple of weeks, but she hadn't expected the two of them to be so close. He gracefully carried him and scooped down to grab the overnight bag that was sitting next to the couch. Elijah had his arms tightly wrapped around Logan's neck and his head resting on his chest. Veronica was also surprised at how touching she found it.

"Need any help?" She asked softly as he walked by her.

Logan gave her a warm smile, "I'll be okay, but if you want to come too that would be great."

She returned his look with an adoring smile herself and followed them up the stairs.

"You need to brush your teeth first, buddy," Logan said stopping at the bathroom in the hall at the top of the stairs. Elijah let out a little disagreeing sound, but didn't argue. "We'll be right back out," Logan said to Veronica and disappeared with him into the bathroom. They returned a short while later with Elijah changed into pajamas with race cars on them. Logan was carrying him again and gave her a little smile as they came out. He headed to the guest room that was closest to Dick and Mac's room and helped Elijah climb under the covers. He reached into his bag and pulled another book from his bag and took a seat on the bed next to the sleepy little boy. Veronica was still standing in the doorway watching them, and he gestured to the other side of Elijah, "You can come over and sit down too if you want."

Veronica gave Elijah a quick look to be sure he seemed okay with that, and given there wasn't a verbal protest or an unhappy look on his face, she walked over and took a spot on the bed on the other side of him. The story was about a race car who had wanted more than anything to win, but then in the end found out that being a good friend and cheering on the other cars was just as important too. The story wasn't very long, and with every page, Elijah's eyes were getting heavier and heavier. He'd positioned himself as close to Logan as he could, not protesting that Veronica was sitting by him, but clearly not yet warming up much to her either. When Logan got to the end of the story, Elijah's eyes were almost closed. He sat their for a few minutes not saying anything with the last page still open and before long, Elijah had completely fallen asleep. Logan carefully climbed off the bed, and pulled the covers up before heading to the door. Veronica had also climbed off the bed, and waited for him at the door. He turned off the light and then stepped out in the hall with her and closed the door most of the way, but left it open a little bit.

"You're amazing with him," Veronica said quietly with a look of awe on her face.

Logan shrugged and smiled, "He's a really easy kid, well at least now he is." She gave him a questioning glance to which he replied, "When he was under a year old, I didn't do as much with him, and it took him a little while to get use to me too. But over the last year, we've spent more time together. He's stayed over here several times to give Carmen and Weev's a night to themselves, and I would usually stay over here too and help Mac and Dick with him."

She leaned up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss before smiling lovingly at him and heading back downstairs to play poker. He reached for her hand and pulled her back for a deeper kiss. When their mouths parted, he kept his head resting against hers for a moment. "We could sneak off to one of the other guest rooms and skip the game."

She laughed and shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you worried I'm going to beat you again?"

He smiled deviously at her, "We'll see about that. Maybe we should make our own little wager on the side?"

She laughed a little harder, "I've seen how lucky you've been with bets lately, karaoke and diaper duty. You sure you want to risk it with me?"

"Good point," He said with a smirk, "but I'm feeling pretty lucky tonight."

She gave him a skeptical look, "Tell me what you had in mind first before I agree."

"If I win, we sneak off and have sex in one of Dick's guest rooms before we drive all the way home," he said in a low sensuous tone.

She made a small scoffing sound. "It's only like 5 minutes to drive back to our house."

"Five minutes too long," he said as he brushed his mouth along her jaw line and kissed her under her ear. "If you're so confident you'll win, then you shouldn't worry so much about what I want," he whispered in her ear after the kiss. He moved his head back so he could look at her face again. "What do you want if you win?"

She looked thoughtfully at him for a minute, "Breakfast served to me in bed for the next week."

"Deal," He said with a sly grin on his face and reached out his hand for her to shake.

She bit on her lip for a moment before reaching out and shaking his hand. "You're going down Echolls," she said playfully.

"I sure intend too," he said with a suggestive look on his face.

She shook her head and laughed as she turned to walk back down the stairs. They walked into the game room and saw Wallace standing near the door where Dick had placed some snacks on a table. Luke and Piz were already sitting by each other at the table seemingly in an argument about some band being better than some other band. Even in his drunken state, Piz was still quite passionate when it came to music. Dick and Leo weren't yet back in the room.

"Hey man," Logan said as he patted Wallace on the back. He glanced over at Piz and Luke who still hadn't seemed to notice they had come into the room. He gestured toward Piz and spoke in a low voice. "How's he doing with the divorce these days?"

Veronica was slightly behind him, and he missed her perplexed expression. Wallace shrugged and replied in an equally low voice, "I think it's getting a little better, but he really misses his daughter. Marjorie moved them back down to San Diego a couple months ago, so that was one of the reasons he was excited about this temporary assignment. I think he's hoping to find something permanent down here so he can live closer to them again."

"What?" Veronica interjected, also keeping her voice in a whisper, but obviously clueless as to what they were talking about.

Logan chuckled lightly, "I guess it's nice to know I wasn't the only ex you didn't keep in touch with."

Wallace gave them a sly grin, and shook his head, clearly not wanting to be part of this conversation anymore. He looked pointedly at Veronica before he spoke, "you were the one who didn't want to hear about anyone from Hearst, so just remember that missy." He gave her a little wink, then headed over to the poker table to make sure the quickly escalating debate Luke and Piz were having didn't get out of hand.

"And here I thought you said you two weren't buddies?" She asked quietly with her eyebrows raised.

"We're not," Logan said with a shrug, "But that doesn't mean I don't know stuff about his life."

She looked skeptically at him. "Okay then," she asked after thinking for a moment, "did you go to his wedding?"

Logan looked a bit sheepish, "Yes, but to be fair, I wasn't the one who was invited. Marjorie and Alexis were both Theta Beta's and they got married when Alexis and I were still engaged, so that was the only reason I went. Talk about a little awkward," he paused for a moment and a smirk crossed his face, "although that was definitely less awkward than a couple of the double dates we ended up on."

Veronica laughed softly for a moment, "Seriously? You double dated with Piz and two Theta Beta's?" He nodded and gave her a pained expression before she continued. "I had no idea Alexis was in a sorority, though I guess I can't say I'm surprised." Logan shrugged and gave her a half smile. "I'm also a little surprised Piz ended up marrying a Theta Beta as well." Her expression became a bit thoughtful again.

"Oh," Veronica finally said after a moment, her eyes getting a bit bigger and a slightly concerned look crossing her face. Logan noticed and gave her a questioning look in return. "Was Marjorie a year or two ahead of us and had reddish hair?" Logan nodded. "I think she was one of the girls that I felt so bad disappointing when I did that story that got their den mother in trouble."

Logan leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Hey that was a long time ago, and it's not like you'll probably ever run into her now that they are divorced."

Dick walked into the room followed by Leo. "So are you done playing Mary Poppins now so we can get this game started?" he asked as he walked by Logan. Dick sat down at the table and opened his case of poker chips. He gave Piz a curious look. "Piznarski, are you sure you're sober enough to play?"

Piz laughed and scoffed at him, "Yeah man, I play better when I'm drunk anyway."

Dick laughed at that. "Dude, I'd actually believe it because you certainly can't play any worse than you do when you're sober." Wallace and Luke laughed at that and so did Piz initially until he stopped to think about whether he should be offended or not.

"Okay gents," Dick glanced quickly at Veronica, "and lady…. You know the rules, Texas Hold'em, $100 buy in."

Logan opened his wallet and tossed two $100 bills on the table and winked at Veronica. Dick started counting out the chips and collecting the money. "Want a beer?" Logan asked Veronica as he started over to a small fridge near the snacks. She nodded and he grabbed two out and popped off the caps and handed her one. She gave him a slightly surprised look. He shrugged knowing she was surprised he was having a beer too. "It's poker night," was his only explanation. She smiled knowingly and followed him back to the table. She also smiled to herself as she saw him grab a tray of Oreo cookies and set them by himself at the table. She remembered when she busted Sean for cheating and played with them, he also had been eating the same cookies that night. She was a little surprised the stakes were so much lower too, but realized it wasn't just a group of 09ers now and it was actually nice that they all seemed to become friends no matter where they had come from.

As expected Piz was quickly losing his chips, and still being rather loud. He'd had some water when they first arrived, but then insisted he was fine and wanted another beer. Wallace had rolled his eyes, but didn't feel like playing mother hen, so let him have one.

"Hey Piznarski," Dick said after several hands had been played, "I think you're right, you are doing better than you usually do." Piz smiled and nodded happily back.

Veronica gave Logan a questioning look, to which he shrugged and nodded. She shook her head in disbelief that he could actually play worse than he currently was. She'd been biding her time trying to figure out every one's tells. Piz of course was the easiest at the table, given he couldn't help but smile and get excited if he had anything worth betting on, which had only been a couple hands, and then otherwise he'd let out a frustrated little grunt and slap his cards down before folding. Wallace, who was sitting on her left, was a bit harder, but she was starting to notice that when he had a good hand he'd start bouncing his leg up and down and when he had a bad hand he'd sigh a little when he first looked at his cards. Leo and Luke were a little harder, but she was starting to pick up little things, while Dick and Logan were really hard to read. They had probably played poker the most and had worked hard to be able to hide any tells that they had.

"So Luke," Dick said as he dealt out the next hand, "Enbom said you hooked up with some hot chick at that concert you two went to in San Diego."

Luke shook his head and a big grin spread across his face, "No man, not '_some_' hot chick, '_the_' hot chick." Dick gave him his best 'whatever man' face and Luke continued on. "Remember that ski trip we all took to Whistler over winter break of our sophomore year in college?" He looked back and forth between Logan and Dick a couple times. Dick seemed to be trying to remember what trip he was talking about and Logan just shook his head slowly. "Oh right man, you had a broken arm and didn't go with us," Luke said to Logan who nodded his head and then looked back at his cards.

_Well that should make an interesting story for our ride home_, Veronica thought as she glanced at Logan and noticed he was intently just looking at his cards and not up at her at all.

Luke continued on very enthusiastically just focusing back on Dick. "Well anyway, remember that hot blonde from SDSU that I hooked up with when we were there?"

Dick laughed, "Yeah the one who gave you a fake number so you couldn't track her down later, right? Too bad Ronnie here wasn't around then. You could have hired her to find your long lost soul mate when you got back instead of moping around for a couple of months."

Luke got a bit annoyed, "No man, I told you she didn't do it on purpose and it turns out I was right. I ran into her at the concert and at first she was a bit pissed that I never called her and I told her I tried and that I still even had her number in my phone. She's actually the one who entered it and I showed her and she realized she transposed the two numbers at the end."

Dick laughed again, "I still think she did it on purpose, man. And who keeps a chick's wrong number in their phone for what, 8 years? Dude, that's just pathetic."

Luke just shook his head. "Whatever man, it doesn't really matter now. We've been on three dates since the concert."

Luke may have gotten lucky in love, but he wasn't having any luck with his cards. He actually started losing faster than Piz, which of course everyone was teasing him about. Veronica noticed that Luke seemed to pay more attention to sending and receiving texts on his phone than the game, so wasn't surprised he was doing as poorly as he was. After a few more hands Luke ended up losing his last few chips and was out of the game. Piz was barely hanging on with only a few chips left. Veronica, Logan and Dick were winning most of the hands, and the majority of the chips were spread among the three of them. Leo and Wallace were pretty evenly matched with Wallace having slightly more chips than Leo. Veronica had beaten Dick on a couple hands, but hadn't been able to beat Logan on any that they went head to head on. He seemed pretty smug in his confidence that if it came down to the two of them at the end, he'd be able to beat her. He was having fun taunting her when no one else was paying attention by leaning over and whispering in her ear about how fun it was going to be to have his way with her up in one of the guest rooms when he won.

Piz miraculously won a fairly big pot and ended up taking Leo out of the game. Leo said he was going to go and check on Emily and headed out of the room. Piz lasted a couple more hands and then Veronica won a big hand which put him out of the game. She gave him a small apologetic look as he whined about being out. Luke and Piz moved over to play pool while the others finished the poker game. It sounded like they were doing more arguing over bands and music though than actually playing too much pool.

The next big pot Logan won and ended up taking Wallace out of the game and significantly reducing Dick's chips as well. Wallace said he was going to go check on Cora and Dick needed a quick bathroom break, so that left Logan and Veronica alone at the table with Luke and Piz arguing and playing pool. Logan pulled her chair a little closer to his and ran his hand up her thigh. "Mmmmm," he moaned quietly into her ear, "I can't wait to claim my prize in a little while."

She gave him a skeptical glare and then a mischievous smirk, "Don't be so sure there buddy. You haven't won yet."

"It's just a matter of time," He kissed her neck below her ear and made her breath hitch. For a moment she leaned into his kisses and started to get lost in the feel of his mouth on her skin, but then she realized he was probably trying to distract her for the next hand. She sat up and gave him a suspicious look. He chuckled softly and bopped her on the nose with his finger and gave her a little wink.

"Nice try there Romeo," She said and scooted her chair back to its original position and leaned slightly away from him.

Dick returned a minute later and Veronica dealt the cards. She was studying Dick's face intently and didn't think he had very good cards. He looked a little happier with the flop, but Veronica still thought he was just bluffing. She was happy with a pair of queens in her hand and so she asked how much he had left and forced him to go all in. Logan folded and left it to the two of them. Even if she lost, she knew she'd still have enough chips left to try to force him out in another hand or two. Since Dick was all in, and Logan was out, they flipped over their cards. She cringed when she saw Dick had a pair of Kings. He clearly had a very satisfied look on his face, but there were still two more cards to go. She couldn't help but blurt out a happy squeal when she flipped the turn card and it gave her a third queen. The rest of the cards had been too random to really help either of them. Dick was clearly holding his breath to see if he could get lucky on the river with a King, but as she turned it and he saw it was a two, he let out a defeated groan.

"And then there were two," Logan said with a leering grin at her. She now had more chips than he did, although he wasn't too far behind. They played a few hands, and the lead was just barely shifting back and forth. "How about we just let fate decide on the next hand?" he asked clearly fearing at this point that they would just go back and forth for a considerable amount of time since they were pretty evenly matched at knowing how best to play each other.

She chewed on her bottom lip for a few moments before answering. While she was getting a bit tired since it was getting a little late, she also didn't want to face the embarrassment of anyone finding out they'd snuck off to have sex upstairs if she lost. She was momentarily saved by a text on Logan's phone from Weevil.

"Carmen just delivered a healthy little girl, and they are all doing really well," Logan announced to those of them in the room. "They named her Natalia Leticia Navarro." They could hear Mac saying the same thing through the door from the living room where the others had congregated after finishing the movie they were watching.

Leo popped back in and said he and Emily were taking off and gave Logan a quick hand shake and said good bye to Veronica before he headed back out.

_At least if I lose, there will be a smaller potential audience._ It was also her turn to deal and she'd been luckier with her own deals for some reason all night, so she really hoped it would continue for one more hand. Veronica gave him a slightly annoyed look, and then simply said, "Fine, let fate decide."

"Go ahead and deal them face up then," Logan said with a sly grin on his face.

She flipped over his first card which was an ace. His grin got even larger and he waggled his eyebrows at her and then looked up at the ceiling suggestively. She flipped her first card and it was another Queen. She'd actually ended up with pairs of queens in several hands so she was really hoping it would happen again. His next card was a three, so she relaxed a bit before flipping over her second card, another queen. Her smile broadened, while his fell a bit, though he wasn't ready to feel defeated yet and pointed out that at least his ace and three were both hearts. She turned over the three cards in the flop and deflated a bit when one was an ace. The other two didn't help either of them and were not hearts, so Logan's flush was no longer a possibility, but he had the lead with his pair of aces. The turn card was a king. He smiled a bit more knowing he only had to escape one more card to win, although he hadn't had luck in the past with the river when he thought he had a hand won. She hesitated a moment, and then held her breath and flipped over the river. She jumped up out of her chair as she saw a queen looking back up at her. Logan shook his head and sighed.

"Ah, sorry honey," She said in a slightly sarcastic voice. Logan looked a bit disgruntled with a sad pout on his face. Dick had been watching, and slapped Logan on the shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look. Dick started picking up the chips and handed the $600 to Veronica. She smiled and took the bills and made a show of fanning herself with them as she leaned toward Logan who was still pouting. He shook his head at her and kept the same expression. She smiled mischievously and then sat down in his lap, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

"I'll take pancakes and bacon tomorrow, Jeeves," Veronica whispered into his ear.

"As you wish, mi'lady," He said in a sarcastic British accent. She leaned in and gave him a firm kiss on the lips.

"You should know better than to bet against me," she said with a sly grin.

"I'll try to remember that next time," he replied as he nuzzled his head against her neck and started placing a few kisses there.

Wallace had walked back in to check on Piz and saw her on Logan's lap, "Ah man, please stop so I don't have nightmares tonight," he teased as he walked by them toward the pool table.

Veronica gave him a big smile and winked at him, "But we love giving you reasons to need therapy Papa Bear."

He visibly shuddered, "Calling me that doesn't help." Veronica chuckled and smiled deviously at him.

After saying thanks and goodbye to everyone, Logan and Veronica headed home. They'd barely gotten out of the driveway when Veronica started in on her interrogation, "So…"

Logan laughed. "I can't wait to see where this is going," he said a bit sarcastically.

She watched for his reaction as she asked the question. "How'd you break your arm Sophomore year?"

Logan shook his head, "I sort of figured it was probably going to be that, unless you wanted to cover the awkward double date topic instead."

A small smirk crossed her face, though with his eyes focused on the road he didn't see it. "While I'm sure those awkward dates were probably entertaining, I sort of know how that story turned out for both of you in the end."

Logan tapped his fingers on the wheel as he drove, but didn't answer her immediately. _This story must be a bit more sordid than simply wiping out surfing if he's got to come up with a strategy for how to tell it_.

"Well?" She asked after a minute of him not saying anything. "Sky diving? Base Jumping? Running with the Bulls? Sex-capade gone wrong?"

He chuckled then let out a deep sigh. "We'll be home in a couple more minutes, and then we can talk about it."

She raised her eyebrows in a questioning look, although he was intentionally keeping his focus completely on the road in front of him, not glancing at her at all.

Once they were home and in the house, he stopped in the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and leaned against the counter watching her. She hopped up on one of the stools and gave him her _'I'm waiting'_ look.

"Keep in mind Veronica, it happened eight years ago, so I don't want you to get mad about it," he said in a firm voice while giving her an expression that clearly matched his tone. "I want you to promise you'll just let it go and not dwell on it okay?"

She gave him a frustrated look, "How can I promise before I even know what you're going to tell me?"

"Because I'm asking you to let it go for me," he replied in a very serious tone. He walked over toward her and leaned on the counter across from her so that his hands were resting on the counter in front of her. "That no matter whose fault it was, that you'll just be satisfied with knowing what happened and then drop it. It was so long ago that it doesn't matter anymore."

Veronica raised her eyebrow at him, her voice taking on the slightest edge of annoyance, "So you're saying you won't tell me if I don't promise?" _What happened to being an open book and telling me anything I wanted to know?_

He shook his head, "No, I'll still tell you because I promised I wouldn't keep anything from you. But I'd like to know that you've changed too and can honor my wishes to let things go if it doesn't directly impact us now, where we are at this point in our life. It was eight years ago, Veronica, I'd rather it would have just stayed forgotten in the past, but thanks to Luke finding his long lost love, it didn't. It doesn't really have any bearing on who we are now and where we've finally gotten to."

Veronica let out a frustrated sigh and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll try." _Damn it, why is it so hard for me to agree to let things go?_

Logan sighed as well and shook his head. "It was payback for the beating I gave Gory Sorokin in the cafeteria. Apparently broken arms are his own special calling card."

_Domonick Desante, I should have guessed when I heard broken arm._ "I'm so sorry Logan." She reached across the counter and squeezed his hand.

She opened her mouth to say it was partly her fault, but before she could get a sound out, he interrupted her. "Don't say it was your fault Veronica, because it wasn't. You told me to back off and I didn't listen, so please don't say it was your fault."

"But…" she started to protest before he cut her off again.

"No Veronica," he gave her a stern look, "It wasn't your fault. And now that you know, can you just let it go and not worry about it. It was eight years ago. I haven't thought about it for years. I certainly don't want you to have any sort of ideas about retaliating against him now, nor do I want you to feel guilty about it okay? Just let this go, okay?"

She nodded and looked sadly at him. _I still feel like it was mostly my fault._

"Can we go to bed now?" Logan asked softly as he started to stroke her hand that was in front of him on the counter. "One of us has to get up early to make pancakes and bacon before work." He gave her a playful little smirk and winked.

"How about I let you off the hook for making me breakfast as repentance for getting your arm broken?" She asked with a sympathetic expression on her face.

He'd started walking around the counter toward her. He stopped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, and then kissed her neck right above her shoulder, "I always pay my debts." He ran his hands up under the edge of her shirt along her sides, "but I'm sure I can think of other things you can do to make amends." He placed another kiss on her neck right below her ear. She moaned softly and tipped her head so he could have better access.

"Whatever you want," she said in a low sultry voice, "it's the least I can do."


	8. Chapter 8 - New Developments

**A/N: I forgot to put a note in at the end of the last chapter that the first name I picked for the baby, is actually the name of the actress that played Carmen and then of course the middle name was Weevil's grandma's name.**

**Thanks again to everyone who has been reading, and a special thanks to those of you who have left comments. I love reading what other people think about it.**

**Disclaimer: The VM characters still belong to Rob Thomas (wish they were mine though)**

Chapter 8 – New Developments

Logan jerked awake in the middle of the night. His breathing was ragged and he could feel sweat on his face. He hoped he didn't actually scream out in his sleep, but it was always hard to tell what parts were just part of his nightmare and what parts he was saying when he was partially awake. Veronica had rolled away from him in her sleep, so she wasn't resting right beside him when it happened. He slowly turned onto his side and moved his arm carefully over her wanting to feel her near him, but hoping he didn't wake her. He hadn't had a nightmare about Gory in quite some time, but with the conversation before they went to bed he wasn't surprised that he had one now. A small shudder spread through his body recalling that rainy day in late November when Gory and a few of his friends had cornered Logan alone after he left a Pi Sig party. The broken arm wasn't the worst part given all the damage Aaron had done to him over the years. The worst part was the threat he made about Veronica and the pictures he had of her taken at her new apartment in Virginia. He told Logan that if he tried to retaliate, she'd be the one that paid next time and it wouldn't just be a broken arm. Of course in his nightmares it wasn't Gory breaking his arm, but Gory attacking and killing Veronica before he could save her.

Veronica stirred slightly as he scooted a little closer to her so he could feel her body pressed up against his.

"Mmmmmm…" she whispered groggily. "You okay?"

His breathing was still a bit irregular and he could feel his heartbeat was thumping in his chest. "Yeah, sorry. Go back to sleep," he whispered.

Since he didn't have to worry about trying not to wake her any longer, he pushed his other arm underneath her and then held her tighter, burying his face against her neck with her hair falling around his face. He placed a slow deep kiss on the back of her shoulder and tried to slow down his breathing. She moved her hands so they were crossed in front of her chest and ran them up his biceps.

"Which one was it?" she asked in a sleepy soft voice.

"Which what?" He asked back, wondering if she was asking about his dream or something else. He really didn't want to talk about the dream, not now at least.

"Which arm?" she clarified, running her hands all the way down to his elbows and back up his biceps toward his shoulders.

"Oh, the right one," Logan replied quietly. He took a deep breath, "Promise me you're going to let it go and not do anything about it Veronica?"

She didn't answer him right away and for a moment he wasn't sure if she'd just fallen back to sleep, or if she wasn't answering him. "V'ronica?" he asked softly to see if she was asleep.

"Yeah?" she replied softly.

"You have to promise me you'll let it go," his voice wasn't as soft any more and Veronica could easily sense that his entire body had stiffened and his breathing was getting more ragged again.

_Someone's always supposed to pay, right? _She couldn't help but think back to his words when she'd confronted him about Piz. Wasn't that how they had always thought. She also couldn't forget the escalating war that had waged between the PCH'ers and Logan and his buddies back in high school. "Did you really let it go, or did you do something to retaliate back then?"

Logan squeezed her a little tighter. "I let it go, just like I'm asking you to do now. There's no reason to go and dredge any of that back up after all this time."

_I'm sure I could get Mac to do something that he'd never trace back to us_. "Given your penchant in the past for payback back, I'm surprised you just let it go."

She felt him let out a deep sigh against her shoulder. "He had pictures of you in Virginia and threatened to go after you if I did anything else. So yeah, I just let it go."

"Oh," was all she said as first. They both laid there in silence for a while. She didn't think he'd fallen back to sleep as she hadn't felt his body really relax at all. She thought back to a call from her dad in the winter of her sophomore year warning her that he'd had some trouble with a case and to keep her guard up in case anyone tried to go after her. "You told my dad about it didn't you?" she finally asked quietly.

It took him a moment to reply, and when he did it came out very quietly and she could still sense that he was extremely tense, "Yes."

After a few more minutes of silence, Veronica finally spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"I already told you it wasn't your fault and you don't need to apologize for it."

"No," she replied quietly, "I'm sorry that I have such a hard time letting things go and that I didn't just drop it because you asked me to. I know I need to work on just trusting you and not questioning you when you ask me to do something."

"Thank you," he said as he placed another kiss on her shoulder and squeezed her a little tighter. Even though he was hugging her a little tighter, she could feel that he wasn't as tense as before.

Veronica had dozed off again fairly quickly after that and it seemed like only a short amount of time had passed when she woke up again to the smell of bacon. She still had her eyes closed, but felt the bed shift and smiled to herself before finally opening her eyes to see Logan smiling back at her and holding a breakfast tray with pancakes, bacon and coffee.

"Breakfast mi'lady," he said in a horrible British accent. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, and then hopped over her on to the other side of the bed.

"Aren't you eating too?" Veronica asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

He shrugged in reply, "I've been up for a while, so I already ate something earlier, but didn't want to bother you too early."

She gave him a slightly concerned look. "Did you not sleep very well the rest of the night then?" He shook his head and gave her a small smile. He scooted closer so he could wrap his arms around her waist and rest his head on her thigh just out of the way of the breakfast tray. She gently stroked her hand through his hair while she ate her breakfast. She knew he didn't have any meetings before lunch, so when she felt him fall asleep, she decided to let him sleep a while instead of waking him up. She had already been resting against the headboard, so she was comfortable enough at least for a little while. Unfortunately whatever had started haunting his dreams the night before must have happened again because after only about 30 minutes he jerked awake with a bit of an outburst.

"Hey, it's okay," she said as she ran her hand down his back.

It took him a moment to realize where he was and what had just happened. He rolled over on his back and covered his face with one of his arm. His heart was pounding fast, but his breathing was much calmer than when he woke up during the night. Veronica scooted down so she could rest her head on his chest. He moved his arms down so he could wrap them both around her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Ready for a shower?" He asked a moment later.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about your nightmares?" she asked with a concerned tone.

"Lots of people have nightmares, Veronica. It's not a big deal." She was still resting on his chest, so he prompted her again. "So shower?"

She asked him about his nightmares a few more times as they got ready to go to work, but he didn't feel like talking about them. She finally decided she would just let it go and hope that he didn't have another one tonight. Her mind eventually moved on to thinking about her conversation with Mac the night before about whether it would be possible for someone to crack into the safes. Mac had said that she would have to do a little research, but she was pretty sure that given they were digital there would be a way to hack in and override the codes. She had said she'd call her when she found anything helpful for her.

When she got to the station, Norris was at the counter again, just finishing up a phone call. She heard him say, "I believe we can send someone over to talk with you in person…" as she walked by him to her office.

A few minutes later, Norris and Leo were standing in her doorway. "Hey Veronica, do you want to go with Deputy Clayton to take a statement on a missing person case?"

Veronica's eyes lit up at working on something other than the jewelry case for a little while. On the way to the car, Veronica asked Norris what he'd learned about the case over the phone.

"The caller was the missing woman's roommate. They are both grad students at Hearst and the missing woman hasn't been seen since Saturday night."

"Saturday?" Veronica asked with shock in her voice. "It's Friday, how is it she's just now reporting her missing?"

"The roommate who called has been out of town this week, and just got home late last night and didn't realize she was missing until this morning." Norris shook his head sadly. "She seemed extremely upset when she called after realizing something may have happened, which is why I volunteered to drive over to talk with her instead of forcing her to come down to the station."

A short while later they were knocking on an apartment door at a complex near Hearst. A teary eyed young woman opened the door a crack and then once she saw Norris's uniform she opened it wider for them. "Miss Emma Johnson?" Norris asked before walking into the apartment after she nodded in confirmation.

"I feel just terrible," Emma said after directing them to sit at a small table inside the apartment. "I just thought she was out late last night when I got home, and I was so exhausted from flying all day that I didn't wake up until late morning and realized she wasn't here. I called a friend of ours that she usually goes out with and she said she hadn't talked with her since Saturday night. It's not unusual for Corina to get busy with her research project and blow off calls, but then I started noticing that it didn't look like she's actually been back here since Saturday."

Norris took all the official identification information from Emma, including Corina's full name and a rough estimation of her height and weight. Corina's parents had been killed in a car accident when she was young and she had lived with an Aunt before heading off to college and hadn't stayed particularly close to the Aunt who lived back in Chicago.

"Do you have any recent pictures of her?" Veronica asked in a soothing tone. Emma nodded and stood up from the table. She disappeared down a short hall and returned a minute later with a framed picture in her hands. She handed it to Veronica with a devastated look on her face. Veronica about gasped as she looked at the picture and saw Emma and a girl who could have practically been a twin of Debbie staring back at her. She was older than Debbie had been when Veronica had first met her at the Moon Calf Collective, but several years younger than what Debbie would be now. But the resemblance was unbelievable.

Norris noticed her hesitation when she looked at the picture and gave her a questioning glance. Veronica quickly shook her head and he let it go.

"Can you tell us who you think may have last seen her and where that was?" Veronica asked as she passed the picture to Norris.

"She went out with our friend Amber Carr on Saturday night. That's who I called to check whether she knew where she was. Amber said that they had gone to The Clover and that Debbie had started talking with some guy and when Amber and the other girls they were with had wanted to go down to Growlers instead, Corina had insisted on staying behind with the guy and said she'd get a cab home later."

_Debbie's doppelganger disappears from The Clover. I don't think this story is going to have a happy ending and has Liam Fitzpatrick written all over it_. "Can you give us Amber's contact information so we can talk with her too?"

Emma nodded and pulled out her phone to get the information. She also provided them with a list of the faculty Corina frequently worked with on campus and information about the research project she was working on, including the lab she generally worked in.

Amber hadn't left for campus yet when they called, so they went to her apartment to talk with her after they left Emma and Corina's apartment. She told the same story that Emma had told. Veronica asked if Corina was in an impaired state when she left her at The Clover, and Amber said she'd had a couple of drinks, but wasn't overly intoxicated. She described the guy as being in his late 20's with very dark hair and a slender build and easily six foot tall. She didn't get his name though since only Corina had been talking with him. Veronica knew Liam wouldn't pass for a guy in his 20's, but that didn't mean that he didn't have other cousins who worked with him that would fit that description. She was glad that the description seemed to leave Tommy off the list, as he had more sandy brown hair than dark brown. It would also leave Troy off the list as well, but she couldn't help but wonder if he'd seen the girl and knew anything about it.

After talking with Amber, they headed back to the Sheriff's office to pull up any other information in the system on Corina that might be able to help. Veronica made a copy of the photo that Emma had let them take. Norris wanted to go to The Clover to see if anyone there could provide any information, perhaps security tapes, however they didn't think anyone would be there until later in the day since it was a night club and not usually open before mid-afternoon. Veronica said she needed to run an errand and grab some lunch and that she'd be back a bit later to go to The Clover with him. She really wanted to talk to Troy about the case, and not have him hear about it for the first time in front of anyone else who might be at The Clover if he happened to be there later when they arrived.

A short while later Veronica was pulling up near Troy's apartment. It was easier to park on the street than in the side parking lot for the complex so she found a spot and walked back up the sidewalk to the apartment building. She knocked on his door and waited. She had seen his car in the parking lot, so expected him to be home, so after two minutes of no answer, she knocked a bit louder.

"Fuck, you're early man…" Troy started to say as he swung the door open in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His eyes popped open when he saw Veronica. He quickly looked over her shoulder, before grabbing her wrist and yanking her into the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

"What the hell?" She asked at the unexpected manhandling.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He blurted out without any apology for grabbing her and yanking her through the door. "You shouldn't be here!" He shoved her toward the hall, away from the front window and looked nervously out the window before spinning to face her again.

There was no mistake by the look on Veronica's face that she was completely pissed and expected an immediate explanation. "Again, what the hell Troy?" She repeated in a much angrier tone.

Troy let out a frustrated sigh and leaned against the wall. "A couple of the Fitzpatrick cousins are on their way over here and if they find you here, well I don't think that will turn out very well for either of us." He replied in a very frustrated tone. "You can't just drop by here. Ever!"

Veronica hadn't really stopped to think about the possibility of something like that happening. "I'm sorry," she said in a more understanding tone, "I just really needed to talk to you about a missing person's case that got reported today. I think it might be related to Liam and Debbie."

Troy nodded then went back to look out the window again. "Can you meet me in two hours at Dog Beach? That should give me enough time to deal with the cousins."

He checked the window again and still didn't see anyone, but didn't want to risk them seeing her leave his place either. He told her that if she went out the back and turned away from the parking lot that there was a path down to the beach and then she could take stairs up into the next complex and head back to her car that way. She followed his instructions and was about to open her car door when she heard a voice call her name. She turned to see Tommy and another young guy with very dark hair just getting out of the car that had pulled in behind hers.

"What are you doing in this neighborhood?" Tommy asked as he walked over toward her. The other guy stayed back near their car and didn't follow Tommy over to her.

"I was just dropping off some papers for a client of my Dad's that lives up the way at the Beachside Bluff Apartments." Veronica said, remaining as calm as possible and hoping Tommy wouldn't get suspicious about her story. She was pretty sure most of the Fitzpatrick's likely knew who her dad was and that he ran Mars Investigations. She wasn't sure if Tommy knew she was working for the Sheriff's department and didn't want to mention that if he didn't.

"Well you should be careful around here," He said with a friendly smile. "Sometimes there are some unsavory characters around, and I wouldn't want something bad to happen to the Mayor's girl." He gave her a quick head nod, and then walked back toward his car and then toward Troy's apartment with the other guy. _Six foot tall, very dark hair and slender build. Hello suspect number one._ She climbed into her car and sat there for a moment after locking the door until her heart rate slowed down and her hands weren't shaking.

Veronica had some time to kill before meeting Troy, and as she was heading back toward the Sheriff's Office she drove by an office building and saw the sign for Grant Whitman's insurance company. She'd had a thought about the jewelry case on her way to the office, before the missing person call, and decided to stop by and see if he might be available to talk for a few minutes. A friendly receptionist greeted her when she walked in and asked if she could speak to Grant for a few minutes. The receptionist checked with Grant and then escorted Veronica into his office. Grant's phone rang right as she walked in and he asked if she could give him a few minutes. She nodded and started looking around his office while he took the call. She noticed pictures of his family on his book shelves. She immediately recognized his wife from meeting her at Hearst and saw that they had 3 kids, 2 girls and a boy. _And you must be Stephanie_. His oldest daughter was blond like his wife and had striking green eyes. She spotted a picture of Stephanie and a few other kids, likely right before a homecoming or prom. It was a group of three boys and three girls striking exaggerated poses. For a moment she flashed back to the last homecoming that she'd gone to with Duncan, Lilly and Logan. She looked closer at the picture and realized one of the two other girls in the picture was actually Heather. There was also another picture of Stephanie with the same other girl in another picture, but this one in different dresses and without Heather and the boys. In the second picture Stephanie had on a gorgeous purple dress, while the other girl had on a dark blue gown. They had their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders and smiled broadly at the camera.

Grant had finished his call and noticed she was looking at the pictures. "That's my daughter Stephanie and her best friend Stacey," He said as he saw which picture she was looking at.

"You have very lovely children." Veronica replied with a smile. "I actually know Heather and didn't realize she was friends with your daughter as well," she added pointing to the other picture.

Grant looked at the other picture, "I think Steph and Stacey mostly knew Heather through their boyfriends, Jake and Malcom. The boys were actually a year older than the girls and were all on the Rugby team with Bradley, who was Heather's date that year for Homecoming. She did come over a few times when the kids were all hanging out at our house. She seemed like a really nice young lady."

Veronica agreed and explained how Logan had been close to her for many years and that she'd met her recently when she came back to Neptune. "I actually stopped by to find out if you know if your company has had any other strings of jewelry thefts in other parts of the country, or if it was all happening only here in Neptune. I was curious if there were similar patterns either now or previously that could have a connection to the robberies here."

"I haven't heard of any, but can do some checking and let you know." He answered with a nod.

"I also was wondering if the necklaces that were stolen were the most expensive ones that the families owned and wondered if you would know, or could tell from their policies."

Grant nodded as he replied, "I'm not sure, but I can pull up their policies and look for you." He apparently had a list of the names already on his desk, likely given the fact that they had to process all of the claims so recently. He shook his head after pulling up a few of the accounts. "No, in a couple cases it may have been the most expensive or the only on that was insured, but in most of them, they had other more valuable pieces that were not stolen."

Veronica thanked him for his help and then left to grab some lunch before she had to meet Troy. She couldn't help but wonder if the robberies were focused on specific pieces that someone wanted acquired or if the thief just didn't know what pieces were the most valuable. The fact that only one piece had been taken, was pointing her more and more to the necklaces being selected to meet a request of someone who wanted those specific ones. It still didn't help her narrow down on a suspect, but at least she was getting a better idea of what might be going on.

About an hour later she was pulling into the parking lot at Dog Beach and saw Troy was already there. She parked a couple spaces over and scanned the lot a bit more carefully this time before walking over and climbing into his car. When she closed the door she pulled out the picture of Corina.

"Oh my god," Troy said as he took it out of her hand, "she looks just like Debbie, just a little younger." Veronica nodded in agreement. "And you said it's a missing person case?"

"Yeah, and she was last seen at The Clover," Veronica answered.

Troy blew out a deep breath. "How long has she been missing?"

"She was last seen on Saturday, and I'm thinking the guy with Tommy may have been the guy she was last seen with. At least he fit the description we were given."

A worried expression crossed Troy's face, "Tommy and Gavin saw you?"

Veronica sighed. "Yes, Tommy spotted me getting into my car. But I said I was delivering documents to one of my dad's clients in the apartment down from yours and he didn't seem suspicious about it. Another Deputy and I are suppose to visit The Clover later since that was the last place her friends saw her. I really wanted to give you a heads up and talk to you before we went. Do you remember seeing her there?"

Troy shook his head "There are so many girls that come through, and I've been trying to get information on some of the back room deals they've been making, so I haven't been on the floor as much as I use to be."

"Are you any closer to getting something on Liam?"

"Not on the murder case, but I'm getting some evidence related to drug infractions, but that's not enough to ensure Debbie would be safe if she came back. And now with this, I'm even more worried about her coming back. Even if we can connect this girl's disappearance to Gavin, that won't have any direct bearing on Liam, unless we can get Gavin to turn on him. Have you talked with Leo about it?"

Veronica shook her head. "He was heading down to San Diego this morning for some big meeting with the SDPD and wasn't going to be back to the office until much later today. I didn't want to risk talking with him over the phone about it."

Troy nodded in agreement. "I'll see what I can find out and talk with Leo on Monday."

Veronica's tone became a bit irritated. "I want to stay involved with this too Troy."

Troy let out a huff of air. "Let me talk to Leo and we'll let him make the call about who stays involved alright?"

"Fine," Veronica said abruptly. "Are you headed over to The Clover now?"

"Yeah, I think I'd like to be there when you and the Deputy come to question the staff."

Veronica nodded in understanding. "Then I guess I'll be seeing you a little later. Don't forget to bring your surprised poker face." She gave him a slightly annoyed look, "Although I know you were always good at putting on an act."

"That was a long time ago Veronica." Troy replied a bit disgruntled. "I apologized for that when we ran into each other at Hearst. Give me a break. You did let Logan practically break my nose a few weeks ago, that should make you feel a little better."

She gave him a devious smile, "Loads." He shook his head and watched her climb out of the car. She was about to open the door on the BMW when she heard a voice call her name._ What is it with me being spotted today when I least want to be seen._ She spun to see Dick looking at her with a confused expression on his face as he glanced from her to the car she'd just exited. His expression changed to be even more disapproving as Troy backed out and turned so Dick had a clear view of his face.

"What are you doing here, Ronnie?" Dick asked with a heavy undertone of suspicion in his voice.

"What are you doing here, Dick?" Veronica repeated back to him.

He waved his hands up and down his body, "Running obviously," he looked at her like she was a complete idiot. "I always go for a run along the beach path when I'm working at the store during the day. How else am I going to keep this physique in perfect shape for my lady."

Veronica tried to suppress a shudder when he mentioned his physique but was sure the expression on her face gave her away.

"The real question is, why are you hanging out at the beach with Vandegraff?" His expression had become suspicious again.

"It's for work, Dick." She hoped that would suffice and that she could leave without any more questions from him. "I've got to be going now. Tell Mac I said hi." She gave him a quick wave and climbed into the BMW and left. She saw his eyes narrow at her as she pulled away from the curb.

As she drove back to the station her mind immediate flipped to Logan. _Maybe I should have told Dick not to mention it to Logan, so I could tell him first that I talked to Troy today, but knowing Dick that would be the type of warning that would ensure he'd tell Logan immediately. Hopefully he'll be too busy when he's back at the shop to give it another thought. Let's hope he doesn't hear from both Tommy and Dick before I get a chance to talk to him tonight. I'm sure he's going to be less than happy that I'm looking into this case when he hears who it might be connected too. _

When she arrived at the station, Norris was ready to drive over to The Clover with her to see what they could find out there. On the way over he updated her with what he'd found out about Corina in their system. She'd had a few parking tickets, but nothing more extreme than that. She had filed a restraining order against a man two years before, but from what Norris could determine, the man no longer lived in California. He did verify that her parents had been killed when she was 17 years old and that she moved from California to Chicago to live with her aunt until she graduated from high school, then came back to Hearst. She was also an only child.

As they pulled up outside of The Clover, Veronica noticed that Troy's car was parked out front. She wondered briefly if Norris would recognize Troy, but given they were members of completely different groups at Neptune High and he was only there for a few months, she was hoping he wouldn't. As they entered the building, it looked much different than when she'd been there before since all of the lights were on and the place was pretty much deserted. There were a few staff members setting all of the tables and chairs back in the proper places and finishing cleaning up from the night before. Molly was sitting at the bar looking through some papers. Troy was sitting next to her chatting with a guy behind the bar that was also doing some cleaning and organizing.

"Ah, Neptune's finest," Molly said sarcastically as she looked up and saw Norris and Veronica. "I'd heard you were doing some work for the Sheriff's Department Veronica, but I wasn't sure if that was just rumors floating around."

Veronica scanned the room again, actually glad that Tommy wasn't there as well to make her earlier story seem a bit suspicious.

"We're here due to a missing person's case Miss Fitzpatrick," Norris said in an official polite voice.

"Come on Deputy," Molly teased back, "We went to school together, you can just call me Molly."

"Alright Molly," Norris continued with a little nod, "Could you please take a look at a picture and see if you recognize the woman. Her friends last saw her here at your club on Saturday night before she went missing."

"Do you have any security footage we could look at as well?" Veronica chimed in as Molly reached out to take the picture. They'd cropped out Emma, so only Corina was in the picture they were using now.

"Don't you need a warrant for that?" Molly asked with her eyebrows raised suspiciously.

"We were hoping you'd be willing to cooperate so we could locate the missing woman," Veronica replied a bit agitated. "But if you have something to hide and don't want to cooperate, then we can go to the DA to request a warrant."

Molly laughed, "Relax Veronica, I was only joking." She glanced at the photo again then back up at Norris. "You said she disappeared on Saturday right?" Norris nodded. "Unfortunately we only keep videos for 48 hours before we delete them. We don't really have a need to go back through more than one or two days if we find something amiss and can't really afford the overhead of having more storage space."

Molly handed the photo over to Troy who took it and casually glanced at it before shrugging and handing it back to Norris.

"I was actually at home sick on Saturday night, so I certainly didn't see her." Molly replied. "There are so many people that come through the club that she may have been in here other times, but nothing about her really stands out as memorable to me. Do you recognize her TJ?" She turned and gave Troy a curious expression.

Troy shook his head, "I was here Saturday night, but mostly up stairs monitoring the floor from the private booth and it's hard to make out faces from up there. We mostly watch to make sure there aren't any fights breaking out or people passing out and getting trampled."

Norris handed the photo back to Molly. "Would you mind passing it around your staff to see if any of them recognize her? My name and number is listed on the back of the photo. If any of them remember anything, please have them give me a call."

"Sure Deputy," Molly said with a sweet accommodating smile on her face. "I'd be happy too."

"Thanks Molly," Norris said with another nod of his head as they turned to head back to their car.

"How much do you want to bet the picture has already ended up in the trash?" Norris said skeptically as they walked toward the car.

Veronica let out a little sigh and shrugged. _It may not matter if I already know who the culprit was, but how can I pursue that without jeopardizing Troy. If Gavin is the guy and he's a regular, maybe I could come back with Amber and see if she recognizes him. Randomly showing up with a picture of him would be a bit too suspicious. _

Norris and Veronica spent the rest of the afternoon over at Hearst talking to students and staff members that knew Corina, but didn't turn up any other leads from them. As the day wore on, Veronica was leaning more toward contacting Amber to see if she'd be free to go back to The Clover to see if she could recognize the guy that she last saw Corina with. There was also the option of having her describe the guy to a sketch artist, but they didn't have one employed at their office, so they'd have to schedule someone to come up from SDPD. They could have that done on Monday, but every day that went by of course meant less and less chance they were going to find Corina alive. Although she was sure Norris knew as well as she did that given she'd been missing for six days, the likelihood that she was alive was very slim. Norris had contacted the Aunt when they first returned to the station and let her know that they were searching for her niece, and to contact them if she heard from her. There was always the chance that she just took off and vanished without letting anyone know, but realistically neither Veronica nor Norris thought that was the case.

Veronica wanted to talk with Logan before she contacted Amber to go to The Clover and he was tied up in meetings all afternoon. She really wanted to have the conversation in person and knew he'd be home by 5:30, which would give her enough time to talk to him and then see if Amber was available to go to the club later with her. Veronica left the station about 5:00 so she would be home when Logan arrived.


	9. Chapter 9 - Interrogation

_**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reading. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Please let me know what you think with a comment/review.**_

_**Also for those of you that haven't noticed, I did start another shorter story. It's called Dangerous Curves Ahead. Thought I'd put a quick plug here for that too.**_

_**Disclaimer: As always, characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 9 - Interrogation

Veronica was standing in front of the fridge when she heard the garage door open and heard Logan come in. "Hey honey, how was your day?" Veronica said in a sing-song playful voice.

"Well I didn't have a rendezvous with one of my ex's at the beach, so perhaps not as great as your day." He flatly replied.

She wasn't surprised that Dick had called him, but she was a little caught off guard by his reaction. "Logan you know it was for a case." She quickly replied with a bit of defensiveness in her voice.

"Of course I know it was for a case, and I know who that case likely involves." He paused for a moment then continued. "Dick also said it was just you, without any backup. We just talked about this yesterday and you said you wouldn't go do anything potentially dangerous without backup." Logan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She could see his jaw tighten and noticed he was gripping his keys tightly in his hand.

"Logan, Troy is an undercover agent," she said calmly, trying to get him to reassure him that everything was fine. "He's not a criminal that I need backup to talk to." _Definitely not going to mention possibly running into the suspect outside of Troy's apartment yet._

Logan sighed and ran one of his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry, I just had a bad day with things at work, and then got the call from Dick on my way home and I may have overreacted a little… a lot. I should at least have given you the opportunity to explain what was going on before I snapped at you."

_Not sure my explanation is going to give him any warm fuzzies anytime soon._ She gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded at him.

"I'm going upstairs to take a shower, and then I'll come back down and you can explain to me why you were meeting with him and what's going on. Okay?"

She nodded again and watched him turn to head up the stairs. _Okay Veronica you have fifteen minutes tops to figure out how to spin this that isn't going to cause him to totally freak out. Well freak out again… Freak out more… this is not going to be a good evening is it?_

Veronica sat on the couch waiting for Logan to come back down after his shower. She knew she had to just go with as much of the truth as she could, even if he didn't like it. She was nervously biting at her lower lip and fidgeting with the end of her shirt sleeve as she imagined all the ways the conversation might go. When he finally came back down dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, he didn't really look much calmer than before.

"Can we start over?" She asked in a gentle tone.

He nodded and went over to sit next to her on the couch. He turned so he could watch her and put his hands in his lap, nervously scraping the thumbnail on one hand with the thumbnail on the other hand. She watched him fidget for a minute before looking back up into his troubled gaze. She hadn't noticed before when he came in how tired he looked. She'd forgotten that he hadn't slept well the night before due to his nightmares. He'd seemed to be doing better with nightmares until they'd talked about Gory last night.

"So, tell me what happened today," he said in as calm a tone as he could muster.

"It started with a missing person call." She watched his expression become a bit more concerned. "The woman looked unbelievably like Debbie and the last place she was seen was The Clover." She paused for a moment to see if he wanted to say anything but only noticed his jaws clenching down harder. "I of course thought it may have had something to do with Debbie and Liam and wanted to talk to Troy about it." She paused again to give him a chance to talk.

"Did Leo arrange for you to meet him at the beach?" He asked after a moment of silence.

She cringed slightly and shook her head. "No, Leo was in San Diego all day so he wasn't around. I went to Troy's apartment first and he asked me to meet him later at the beach." _If I don't mention Tommy, I know it will undoubtedly come up later. _"Tommy and one of his cousins were stopping by Troy's and he of course didn't want them to see me there." She hesitated a moment before continuing.

He'd caught the look she'd made when she mentioned Tommy and his cousin and knew there was something she hadn't said yet. "And? Did they see you?"

_It's amazing how well he can read me even after all these years. _She sighed before she answered him. "They didn't see me at his apartment specifically but out front at the car. I'd circled down to the beach and came back up from a neighboring complex."

Logan blew out a frustrated breath. "Who was with Tommy?"

"Gavin?" She looked at him with a questioning expression. "Do you know him?"

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "He's been at the gym with Tommy a couple times. He's actually Liam's half brother. He doesn't seem like a raving lunatic like Liam, but I think he's been involved with some of Liam's illegal deals. Leo's busted him a few times for possession but nothing bigger than that."

"So here's my dilemma," Veronica continued on, hoping if she involved him in the solution maybe he'd be more willing to not freak out and go along with her. "I think there's a strong possibility that Gavin may have been the guy that the missing girl was last seen with, but it's just a hunch. One of her friends was with her at The Clover, but then left her with a guy matching his description, but she didn't know the guy's name. It's way too circumstantial to have any reason to accuse him at this point though. So I was hoping that if I had the friend go back to The Clover with me and he was there, that she might be able to identify him. Or if it's not him, we might get lucky and she'd see the guy that she was with. Unfortunately I found out from Molly that they don't keep surveillance footage long enough at The Clover to look through any of that."

"Did you go to The Clover today too?" Logan asked in an increasingly irritated tone.

"Yes, but with Norris, so you don't have to get upset about that." Veronica replied a bit more curtly than she intended.

He unfortunately picked up on her tone. She could tell he was about to snap at her again, but instead he took a deep breath and moved his arms down to his knees so he could rest his head against his hands and rubbed his temples.

"No," he finally said after a moment.

"No, what?" She asked with confusion in her voice.

"No, you're not going back to The Clover with her to try to find a potential murderer." His tone was right on the edge of sounding angry with just a touch too much over protection mixed in.

"You don't get to tell me how to do my job, Logan," she replied back defensively.

"No, I don't, but Leo does, and I'm guessing you didn't run this little plan by him did you?" He had lifted his head back up and was watching her carefully to see her reaction. "You can't go off and do your own little missions anymore, Veronica, without getting approval from him."

Her initial reaction was to be totally pissed that he'd tried to tell her what to do. Even if he was ultimately right that it really wasn't her call, it still made her mad as hell that he'd said it the way he did. He saw her expression and blew out a frustrated breath and leaned back on the couch with the palms of his hands pressed to his eyes for a moment before he dropped his arms to his sides and stared up at the ceiling.

"You know I just don't want something to happen to you," he said in a resigned voice.

"Yeah I got that," she said a bit tersely as she crossed her arms across her chest in a defensive posture. She blew out a deep breath then stood up and walked across the room toward the office.

"Where are you going?" Logan asked in a concerned tone.

"To call _my_ boss and talk to him about _my_ case," she replied as she walked into the office and closed the door.

"Wait..." he called out as the door closed. She stood on the other side of the door staring at it, trying to push her anger back down. Deep down she knew why he acted like he had, but she was hoping it would get easier for him to trust her and not to try to tell her what to do. _Storming out of the room wasn't terribly mature either Veronica._ She was still just standing there staring at the door when she heard him knock lightly on it. She took a deep breath and opened it.

"I'm sorry," He said looking at her intently. "Can you hear me out for a minute, and then go back to being pissed at me?" She sighed and nodded her head.

He leaned against the door frame and let out a deep breath. "Since Leo has his mug shot from being arrested, can't you just take her down to the station and have her look through some of the pictures there. If you're hunch is right, which knowing you, it probably is, then you don't need to take her back to The Clover and risk anyone's safety."

She thought about it for a moment before she replied, "But how do I explain my _'hunch'_ to any of the other Deputies without giving away the connection to Debbie and Troy."

"Do you really think they'll be that suspicious and ask?"

She shrugged and sighed again, "I don't know. Maybe not."

He gave her a look that was part apologetic and part confidence in her, "I'm sure if they do, you can come up with a cover story that doesn't compromise Troy. I seem to recall you being pretty quick on your feet when you needed to be." He tipped his head down and looked up at her with a half smile on his face.

"I'm still mad you acted like that, Logan." She said pointing out to the couch, although she was starting to feel her frustration slowly subsiding.

"I'm mad at my self too, so I don't blame you." He looked down at his feet as he replied and didn't look back up at her.

"I'm going to call Leo now and then I may go down to the station if the girl's available to look through the photos with her."

He looked up briefly and nodded and headed back out towards the kitchen.

Leo had just arrived back in Neptune and had stopped off at the station before heading home and was there when she caught him on the phone. She gave him a run down of what had happened while he was gone, and her hunch that it could be Gavin Fitzpatrick that Corina was last seen with. He agreed that they should have Amber look through the mug shots even if it was just a hunch. Veronica called Amber and she agreed to meet her in an hour at the Sheriff's Office to see if the mystery guy matched anyone they had on file that fit the description she'd given them.

When she was off the phone, she went back out to find Logan to let him know she was going to the station. She didn't see him in the kitchen or living room, so went up to their bedroom to see if he'd gone back up there. As she got to the doorway she saw him lying on his back on the bed with his legs bent over the edge and his arm crossed over his head covering his face.

She'd forgotten about him mentioning that he'd had a bad day at work before he even found out about Troy and all of a sudden she felt bad about not even asking what that was about. She really shouldn't have been surprised that he was upset about the case if it meant it might lead back to Liam. She knew Liam would always be a very sensitive issue for him given what happened the day he had to save her from him at the River Stix.

"Hey," she said softly as she went over and sat down on the bed about a foot from him.

He removed his arm and turned his head so he could look at her. The combination of his frustration with her and his reaction to that, his exhaustion from the night before, plus whatever else was bothering him from work made his expression look so devastated. She sighed and repositioned herself so she could reach over and stroked his cheek. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath and turned his head so he could kiss her palm.

"Do you want to talk about what else happened at work that ruined your day?" she asked in a more gentle voice than she'd used downstairs.

He turned his head back again so he could look at her and then he let out a deep breath. "I've been trying to get a plan passed to build a new library near East Harrison Street and one of the council men has been a dick about it and keeps railroading me every time I think we are close. Today I found out the lot that my city planner had found was bought out from under us by the asshole's dad to build some commercial building. Not that there isn't plenty of unoccupied building space that he could have just bought instead. If I'd known he was going to pull something like this, I would have just bought the lot myself and donated it to the city."

_East Harrison Street runs through the 02 neighborhood and I'd bet the jerk was an 09er_. "I'm sorry Logan." She said as she ran her hand gently across his forehead and through his hair.

"Thanks," he said softly, "but that still didn't give me the right to act like an ass when I got home either. I really shouldn't let Barone get to me since I've been dealing with his shit since I became Mayor."

_Barone, not just a privileged 09er, but possibly an infamous secret Neptune Triton as well. _"Matt?" Veronica asked after hearing the last name.

"Yeah, do you remember him from high school?"

She sighed, "Yeah, I may have threatened to expose the secret society he was part of back then."

Logan chuckled, "Well that would explain why he was pissed when he heard that you were the consultant that Leo hired. I wasn't sure if you had a connection to him or he was just pissed because you're my girlfriend and he also hates me."

"Why does he hate you?"

Logan shrugged, "I don't know for sure, it's not like we've sat down and chatted about our feelings." Veronica gave him an annoyed scowl and poked him in the side. He blew out a breath before he continued "I think he's always been obsessed with Alexis and never liked how close we were as friends even after we broke up. She's turned him down for dates several times and I think he blames me."

Veronica gave him a grim smile. "I hate to do this, but I've got to go and meet the friend of the missing woman down at the station to look at mug shots. I don't know how late I'm going to be."

He nodded in understanding, but didn't look thrilled that she was leaving either. "I am sorry about earlier," he said with a regretful look in his hazel brown eyes.

She nodded in return and leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You should eat some dinner and try to get some sleep while I'm gone. You look exhausted."

"I'll try," he said in a tired voice as he watched her stand from the bed to leave. "Hey V'ronica?"

She turned back to him and gave him a small smile.

"Good luck. I hope you find the guy." She gave him a loving smile and walked back over to the bed again before she left.

"Thanks," she said softly then leaned in and gave him a much deeper kiss. "Sorry. This wasn't the way I wanted to spend our Friday night," she added after their lips separated.

He pulled her in for one more deep kiss. "It's okay. I know this case is important to you because of Debbie. We'll have plenty more Friday nights." She smiled again and nodded then headed down to the garage.

When she arrived at the station Amber wasn't there yet, but Leo was in his office. He asked if he could have a word with her, and had her close the door as she came in.

"I spoke with our friend about the case and we decided that if you do want to stay involved, that it would be best for you to have a way to contact him if you need to talk to him about anything, rather than showing up at his place again." Veronica gave him a guilty look. Leo reached into his desk and pulled out a disposable phone. "His number is in this phone and you should only call him on this and not your own personal cell. He'll know it's you when you call and if it's safe to talk, he'll answer and say your name, but if he answers and doesn't, then just say you must have dialed the wrong number and hang up."

"So much cloak and dagger," Veronica said in a slightly teasing voice, but when Leo gave her a stern look she gave him a more serious smile.

"Only contact him if it's really important though Veronica. He'll also let us know if he comes up with any information on Corina."

A deputy came and knocked at the door to let them know Amber was there for them. Leo had already set up a laptop in one of the interrogation rooms for Amber to look through mug shots on. Mac had helped them with a program that made it easier for them to select mug shots of suspects that would meet specific criteria, so Leo had entered the description she'd given them and also made sure Gavin's picture would be included. Veronica sat with her as she started going through the pictures. She told her if there were any that she thought could be the guy, they could flag them and then go back through all the possible ones a second time. It took her about an hour to go through all the pictures the first time. She had selected Gavin, as well as a dozen other guys that looked similar. Leo had been checking in on them occasionally since he was going to stick around the office until they were done in case they did find a suspect to try to track down. Norris had been off his shift for several hours, but volunteered to come back in if they did need help later finding a suspect. Leo knew they were almost done the last time he'd checked, and since she was pretty sure several guys looked possible, he'd called Norris to come back in.

Amber had finally narrowed it down to three guys that she thought were quite possibly the man that Corina had been with, and one of the three was Gavin. Leo had Norris and a few of the other deputies go out to see if they could locate any of the men to bring them in for questioning and to see if Amber was able to better identify them in person. They weren't sure if they would be able to locate any of the men very quickly, but Amber said she'd wait around a while in case they did.

"Hey did you two have dinner already?" Leo asked as he came back into the room after briefing the deputies. Both women shook their heads in response. "A friend of mine brought in some dinner for us if you're interested." Veronica gave him a knowing smile, which he tried to ignore, but she caught a quick little blush cross his cheeks. "She brought in some lasagna, salad, French bread and something for dessert and is setting it up in the interrogation room next door."

"Sounds delicious," Veronica said happily as she stood up from the table and started toward the door.

"Yes, I'd love some," Amber added. "Thank you. That's so nice of you to offer."

The three of them headed into the room next door to find Emily taking containers out of a large bag. "Hi Veronica," Emily said with a friendly smile as she set a big tray of lasagna on the table.

Veronica quickly introduced Amber to Emily. Leo had asked the ladies what they wanted to drink, and had gone to get the drinks for everyone.

"I hope we didn't ruin any plans you had tonight with Leo," Veronica said as she helped Emily get the rest of the food out of the bag.

"It's no problem," Emily said as she pulled plates and forks out and set them on the table. "Since we both work in somewhat unpredictable fields, I completely understand. I get called in sometimes to fill in when there are unexpected absences too."

The ladies started dishing up their plates as Leo returned with the drinks. "Mmmm, this is delicious," Veronica said after taking her first bite of the lasagna.

"Thanks," Emily said. "It's my grandmother's secret recipe." She changed her tone to more of a whisper, "The secret is double the cheese."

Veronica laughed and then replied in a similar hushed tone, "That's my dad's secret recipe too." They all chuckled at that.

While they ate, Emily asked Veronica if she'd made it over to the hospital to see Carmen and the baby yet. Even though she worked in Pediatrics and not the delivery floor, she had made a special trip up to their floor to check in on them since she'd met them at the poker party. Veronica said that she hadn't had a chance yet to stop by, and was thinking she might just wait until they were discharged and then they could stop by once they were settled. Emily gushed a bit about how beautiful the baby was, as well as how sweet Elijah had been at Mac's the night before. She asked Veronica if she could let Carmen and Eli know that she'd be happy to stop by and help out if they needed anything. Emily wasn't sure if they'd be comfortable with that though since she'd just met them, but thought she'd offer anyway. Veronica mentioned that Elijah was still staying with Mac and Dick and that Mac might appreciate some help with him if she wanted to give her a call. Emily was very excited about that idea and said she'd have Leo pass on her number and the offer to Mac.

When they'd finished eating, Leo said he'd walk Emily out. Veronica shot him a sly grin, and thought she caught a slight blush flash across his cheeks again. Shortly after Emily left, a pair of deputies had returned with one of the men that Amber had identified and taken him into an interrogation room with a one-way mirror. Veronica and Amber went into the small observation room and watched the Deputy show the man a picture of Corina and ask if he'd seen her before. Amber studied the man carefully and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure that's not the guy."

The Deputy came out a short while later and was able to verify an alibi for the man for the prior Saturday. He'd actually been up in Seattle the prior weekend, so they were definitely able to rule him out. Leo had thanked the man for his cooperation and had a Deputy drive him home.

Norris had called the station when they were wrapping up with the first man and said he'd located Gavin Fitzpatrick and would be bringing him into the station shortly. Once he was brought into the interrogation room, Veronica and Amber again watched through the one way mirror. Norris and Leo went in with Gavin and showed him the picture. Amber watched him carefully and nodded at Veronica. "I'm pretty sure that was the guy, Veronica."

They listened to the conversation through the speakers. When Leo showed Gavin the picture he nodded and said he'd met her last Saturday night at The Clover. They'd spent a couple hours there and then he'd driven her home. When they got to her apartment she realized she'd misplaced her keys and so they had to have the apartment superintendent unlock her apartment for her. He said he was worried about Corina since she was quite tipsy by that point, but the superintendent was a nice older lady who said she'd be sure that Corina made it safely to bed. He said he left right after the two women went into the apartment together and then he hadn't heard from Corina since that night. He'd given her his number, but she hadn't called at all. Since it wasn't quite midnight yet, he'd headed over to the River Stix and spent the rest of the evening playing pool with some of the regulars there.

Leo sent Norris out to get a statement from the apartment superintendent. He told Gavin that he'd like him to stay at the station until they could verify the story with the Superintendent. Gavin was more than happy to oblige and sat patiently in the interrogation room until Norris called back to the station verifying that the superintendent corroborated the story that Gavin had told them. Leo thanked Gavin for his cooperation and asked him to let him know if he remembered anything else that might help them locate Corina. He also asked him to be available for future questioning in case they uncovered any new information. He also thanked Amber for her assistance and assured her that they would continue to look for new leads in the case. They were planning to release an official statement in the morning and would ask for any tips that the public might have.

After Amber had left, Veronica and Leo went back to his office, closing the door behind them.

"I still think there's more to this than Gavin told us." Veronica said as she flopped into one of the chairs with a frustrated look on her face. "It's just too much of a coincidence don't you think?"

Leo nodded in agreement. "We'll keep investigating and hopefully we'll get some new leads on this." He sighed sadly, "But at this point, I'm not expecting us to have a lot of luck. It's unfortunate that she seems to have gone missing for so long before anyone realized she was gone. If Liam did have something to do with this, we may never find her, just like we haven't found the body of the guy that Debbie saw him kill. We also don't have any idea of exactly when she vanished. The superintendent confirmed that it was about 11:30 when Gavin brought her back to the apartment and that Corina seemed really out of it and pretty much just collapsed right on top of her bed, telling her she'd be fine and to go. The superintendent didn't want to argue with her and left, locking the apartment behind her. That seems to now be the last time anyone saw her, but given her schedule, she could have disappeared at some other point later in the week before the roommate returned home. We can try to verify the rest of Gavin's alibi, but we really don't have any specific window to go with. I'm going to have Norris go back to the apartments tomorrow and interview more people there to see if anyone saw or heard anything suspicious. Hopefully we'll get some other leads once we announce that we are seeking information to help locate her. I know it's Saturday tomorrow, so it's up to you if you want to go back, or just let Norris handle it and fill you in afterwards."

"I'll think about it and can give him a call tomorrow morning." Veronica replied. She wanted to see how Logan was doing before she made a decision, though a part of her really did want to go along to help talk with Corina's neighbors.

Veronica decided there wasn't much else she could do there, so she said good night to Leo and the other Deputies still at the station and drove home. When she walked in the house, she found Logan downstairs sitting on the couch.

"How'd it go?" He asked when he heard her footsteps get closer to him.

"I thought you were going to get some sleep?" She said softly as she went over and sat by him. The shadows under his eyes were even more pronounced than when she left. She reached up and ran her hand gently down the side of his face.

"I tried, but it just didn't happen." He said staring intently into her eyes.

She gave him a small smile. _Meaning you had more nightmares and gave up and waited down here for me._ "Why don't we go up to bed and I'll fill you in on my night?"

He smiled warmly at her and nodded. She was about to stand up when he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him, pressing his lips to hers. She ran her fingers through his hair and sighed happily against his mouth. "I'm so sorry about earlier Veronica," he said in a soft tone after the kiss.

"I know. I could have handled it better too." She gave him an understanding smile, then stood up and reached out her hand to him. "Let's go upstairs."

He nodded, then stood and followed her, turning on the alarm system as they passed it on their way up the stairs. Once they were upstairs, he mostly just followed her around the room as she got ready for bed and filled him in on what had happened at the station. She went into the closet to change into a tank top and sleep shorts and he sat on the bed watching her a bit lustfully, but she could tell he was really trying hard to focus on what she was saying and not the fact that she was temporarily mostly naked. When she told him that Gavin was the guy that was last seen with the missing girl, she saw a flash of concern cross his face. She knew he wouldn't be happy knowing she'd run into him and Tommy earlier by herself. She told him that Gavin seemed to have a sound alibi for the rest of that evening, but she still wasn't convinced that he or Liam didn't have something to do with her disappearance.

After she'd changed clothes, she went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. He got up from the bed and followed her in and leaned against the counter, while he continued to watch her. After just standing and watching her for a few minutes, he walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and watched over her shoulder as she finished brushing her teeth. She gave him an amused smile.

"I know dental hygiene is so sexy isn't it," she teased him as he studied her intently in the mirror. He laughed and leaned down so he could nip at her neck.

"You make everything sexy," he whispered into her ear and then nipped at her ear lobe as well. He went back to kissing her neck and ran his hands across her stomach. When one of his hands started moving down lower, she spun so she could face him and gave him a concerned look.

"Maybe we should just go to sleep since you really do look exhausted."

He shook his head and adjusted his hands for the new position, running one right down over the curve of her back. "I tried that already and it didn't work. I really need something good to dream about." He gave her a lascivious grin, then ran his hands down her thighs so he could pick her up and carried her out to the bed, stopping when the reached the edge of it and placed her down, standing in front of him. "You know you really don't need to actually put something on to sleep in." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "I wouldn't complain if you wanted to follow my clothing optional suggestion." He reached down and pulled the tank top over her head.

She smiled a bit shyly back at him. She loved the way he would look at her when she was naked, and tonight was no exception. Even though she could tell just under the surface there was still some worry from earlier, the way he looked at her at times like this made her feel incredibly warm all over. She reached out and pulled his shirt off as well and ran her fingers along his chest and up over his shoulders pulling him down to her for a kiss. After the kiss he knelt down in front of her pulled her a little closer and started kissing her stomach first, then slowly pulled down her shorts. She ran her hands through his hair, loving the feel of his mouth on her body.

He stood back up and carefully lifted her up, and then set her on the bed. He leaned in toward her and pressed his mouth against hers, slowly moving them backwards until she was laying flat on the bed. He'd carefully crawled on top of her so he wouldn't crush her, and positioned himself on top of her, holding most of his weight off of her with his arms. After a few more deep kisses, he shifted to his side so he could gently stroke her hair with one of his hands and then ran his fingers down the length of her body, tracing her curves as he did. She watched as his eyes moved along with his fingers. She ran her own fingers along his chest and up to his shoulder then down his arm to the fingers that were slowly moving up and down her own body, intertwining their fingers together. Her motion caused his gaze to move back to her eyes.

"Memorizing material for your dreams?" She asked with a soft teasing tone. He nodded slowly and leaned in and kissed her again.

"I love dreaming about your perfect naked body," he said with a sly grin.

"Any special requests for more material for you to log in that memory of yours?" she asked with a suggestive look on her face.

His expression changed to a lecherous smirk and he rolled on his back pulling her up to straddle on top of his stomach. She was close enough that he could reach up with his hands and trace her neck, running his hands up the side of her face into her hair and then pulling her down for another kiss.

She sat up after the kiss and looked lovingly down at him. "This," he said in a deep husky voice, "Having your gorgeous…" he sat up and kissed her lips then leaned back slightly again, resting his hands behind him to hold him inclined toward her, "perfect…" he leaned forward and kissed her again, "…naked body straddling me is the perfect pose for my dreams." He watched her for a moment, his eyes taking in every inch of her before he leaned forward and kissed her passionately again. "Always what I want to see every time I close my eyes," he whispered against her lips before kissing her again.

She wrapped her arms tightly around him and arched up toward him as his mouth started moving from her lips down her neck to her collar bone. She loved moments like this and couldn't help but get a bit breathless from his words and the way he would look at her. She wanted to help erase all those things that were causing his nightmares and replace them with memories like this moment. Of all the perfect moments they had together, just the two of them alone with each other. She would do anything for him to be free of all the memories from the past that caused him any pain or fear. She hoped that with more time and lots of moments like right now, that eventually it would really be possible.


	10. Chapter 10 - Case Work

_**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reading. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Please let me know what you think with a comment/review. This chapter is really heavy on the case side of things. The next chapter will be their night at the club for Alexis's birthday. **_

_**Also for those of you that haven't checked it out yet, I do have another shorter LoVe story that I'm working on. It's called Dangerous Curves Ahead. Thought I'd put another quick plug here for that too. There are 3 chapters posted and I'll be putting chapter 4 out tomorrow since I published this one tonight. The chapters are shorter for that one, so I've been writing those faster and you can read through them faster too.**_

_**Disclaimer: As always, characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 10 – Case Work

Veronica woke up in the morning, her arms were wrapped tightly around Logan's chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around her. She didn't remember him waking up in the middle of the night from any nightmares, so she was hoping their time together before they fell asleep really did help. Either that or he was so exhausted from no sleep the night before and their activities before they dozed off, that he finally was able to stay asleep. Either way, she was thankful that he seemed to have a better night. As she laid there for another few seconds, she realized the reason she woke up was a cell phone ringing.

"Phone," Logan mumbled as he released her from his arms and rolled over on his side away from her.

She finally realized the ringing wasn't from one of their phones, but from the one Leo had given her the night before that was still in her bag that she'd set on one of the chairs in their bedroom. She groaned slightly and crawled out of bed to retrieve it. Logan woke up enough to realize that it also wasn't her normal ring tone and watched her a bit suspiciously as she pulled the other phone from her purse and answered it. She'd meant to forward calls from it to her regular phone so she wouldn't have to actually answer it directly, but had forgotten to do that.

"Hello?" She said as she finally answered it. Of course she already expected it to be Troy, but thought to be safe she shouldn't say his name.

"Hey, Good Morning, Veronica. I was hoping you'd be able to meet this morning to talk a little bit about the case."

"Okay." Veronica answered, looking carefully at Logan.

"Great," Troy replied. "There's a little café that's just a couple blocks from my apartment that we can meet at. Sunny Side Up. Say in about an hour?"

"Sure." Veronica replied then remembered she'd just woken up and likely needed to discuss this with Logan a bit before she'd be able to leave. "Probably closer to an hour and a half."

Logan raised his eyes in a questioning expression as she hung up the phone.

"So that was Troy," Veronica explained as she went back over and sat next to him on the bed.

Logan let out a slightly frustrated sigh and ran his hand over his face and through his hair.

"He wanted to meet to talk about the missing person case. We're meeting at a café near his apartment." She continued a bit cautiously.

Logan looked at her intently. "Let me come with you then. I can at least just wait in the car and make sure nothing bad happens."

"That's not necessary Logan," Veronica quickly replied.

"I really don't want you going alone Veronica." Logan countered back just as quickly with a stern expression starting to form on his face.

"I meant you don't have to wait in the car." She gave him a sweet smile. "You can come in to the café with me."

He smiled back and then grabbed her and pulled her down for a passionate kiss. "Thank you," he said after their lips parted.

"Don't thank me yet," she said with a devious grin, "I might make you buy me breakfast."

"For letting me come along, I'd even be willing to buy Troy's breakfast," he replied, then rolled them over and pinned her beneath him. He started nibbling on her neck making her laugh and wiggle underneath him.

After an enjoyable time in the shower, they drove over to the café. Troy was already sitting at a booth in a back corner as they walked in. Logan had put on a baseball cap and was wearing some sunglasses as he wasn't sure Troy would appreciate it if anyone noticed he was having breakfast with the Mayor. Veronica even let him keep his morning scruff if he promised to shave it later before they went to dinner. Logan and Veronica were holding hands, as they walked through the restaurant toward the table. As they came closer, Troy gave Logan an uncertain look. "You're not going to try to break my nose again are you?" he asked as they sat down in the booth across from him.

"Don't do anything to piss me off and I won't," Logan replied back in a less than friendly tone. He removed his sunglasses and gave him a slightly threatening stare.

Veronica caught the concerned look that Troy flashed her for a moment. _Definitely better not mention that he opened the door in only a towel to Logan._ Veronica just smiled back and shrugged her shoulders.

"So why did you want to meet?" Veronica asked after a waitress took their orders and brought coffee.

"I wanted to see what you found out about the missing woman case, and to give you some information too."

Veronica filled him in on what had happened at the station and that Gavin was the guy who had taken the missing woman home. Troy listened intently as she recalled the events from the night before. She paused momentarily as the waitress came over with their meals.

Troy gave her a conflicted look before he spoke again. "I put a bug on Molly's phone so I could keep tabs on conversations she was having with Liam in case there was anything that would help with Debbie's case." Veronica gave him a scolding look. "I know it's not a legal phone tap, so we can't use it for evidence in any cases, but I'm not really following the rules with Debbie's situation anyway, so if it meant it was a way for me to keep her safe, I was going to do it." Veronica sighed and nodded in understanding. "Molly was pissed last night after your Deputy showed up to take Gavin into the station. She went into her office and called Liam as soon they left the club." Troy took out a memory stick and laid it on the table in front of Veronica. "I thought you might want to hear the conversation too."

Veronica had brought her laptop in her shoulder bag and pulled it out, along with some headphones. She gave Logan one of the earbuds, so he could listen too. He gave her a small smile as she handed it to him.

Veronica started the recording which started with Molly's voice. 'What the hell did you get Gavin into Liam?" It was obvious from her tone that she was extremely furious. Liam's voice came through on the recording next. "Cool down Molly, Gavin didn't do anything. The cops won't have anything to hold him on. He's got an airtight alibi for what they're interested in." Molly practically growled at him before replying, "Oh, and you know exactly what they're interested in? What did you do now Liam?" Liam laughed his wickedly evil laugh, "Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about. Just go back to playing hostess Molly and stay out of my business. Gavin should be released in a few hours at the most." A frustrated sigh could be heard from Molly, "He'd better be, or you're going to have to answer to Stella, and you know she's going to be pissed." Liam laughed again, "Yeah, like I'm scared of my step-mommy. She's about as scary as you are Molly." Molly's tone became even angrier, "Screw you Liam. You'd better not piss me off or do anything that gets Gavin into trouble, or so help me you'll regret it." Liam's laugh became dark, "Right, like you could touch me Molly." Molly laughed a bit darkly in return, "You should know better than that. I told you before what I have and if anything happens to me, or Gavin, it will find its way into the hands of people you really don't want to have it, so keep that in mind the next time you mess with one of us." And with that the line went dead.

Logan and Veronica gave each other a surprised look as they finished listening to the call. "Any idea what Molly might have on Liam?" Veronica asked Troy.

Troy shook his head. "Hard to say with all the crap he's done. I wish I could find out though. I'm planning to snoop around her office a bit more now that I know she has something on him, which is why I wanted you to know about the call and about what I was planning to do." His voice became serious and he looked down at his plate for a moment before he looked at her again. "If something happens to me, I was hoping you could tell Debbie and make sure she stays safe. Do you remember the combination to my safe?" Veronica nodded slowly in reply, "I keep the phone to contact her in the safe, so if something does happen to me, could you do that for me, please?"

Veronica looked at Logan for a moment, and noticed a slight amount of concern on his face but not a total objection, so she turned back to Troy and nodded that she would.

"Do you know anything about Stella and why Molly would think Liam should be afraid of her?" Veronica asked next.

Troy shrugged, "I've heard her name mentioned a couple times by Molly when she talks with her cousins, but haven't done much investigating into her."

Logan cleared his throat for a moment, and both Veronica and Troy turned to look at him. "She's Gavin's mom. She was married to Liam's dad when he died. Wife number three, I think." They both gave him a slightly surprised look. "What? I told you I was working with Leo to try to take down the Fitzpatrick's for a while now," he said to Veronica before turning back with a slightly annoyed glance at Troy, "of course Leo didn't mention his own little secret about his working with you."

"But why would Molly think that Liam should be worried about her?" Veronica asked, still not understanding what the woman could possibly do to Liam.

Logan fidgeted with his coffee cup and didn't give her an immediate answer. Veronica studied him suspiciously for a few moments before he finally stopped and looked up at her, then he sighed deeply before he spoke. "Her name before she married Liam's dad was Stella Sorokin."

Veronica's eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open slightly in surprise. Troy shot Logan a concerned look and leaned closer. "As in the Russian mob family?" he asked in a bit of a hushed tone.

Logan slowly nodded, keeping his eyes locked on Veronica. "Gory's aunt," he added knowing Veronica would probably be asking about that connection next.

"Wow," Veronica finally said. "So Liam and Gory are cousins?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"Well only by marriage I suppose," Logan replied with a slight nod, "But Gavin and Gory would be full cousins."

Veronica sat quietly looking at her barely touched breakfast plate. Logan had paused a moment to let all that sink in before he continued. "I really don't think she has much connection to the rest of the family though since she's still here in Neptune, and the rest of the family is all back East. Even Gory went back to New York after he graduated from Hearst. But given Molly's threat, I'd say she must still have some connections to them that could cause problems for Liam."

Troy nodded in agreement. "One of the cases I worked on took me across the path of some Sorokins. Not a bunch I'd want to have pissed off at me, that's for sure."

"Do you think if you took the recording to the DA, he'd consider giving you a warrant for an official phone tap?" Logan asked looking back and forth between the two.

"Let me talk it over with Leo after I share the recording with him. We might be able to say my Dad was working on a case and had stumbled across it, so we can keep Troy off of everyone's radar for now. I'm sure my Dad would be happy to go along with it for us given how much he hates the Fitzpatricks." Veronica smiled thinking back to some of the other bugs that her dad had planted for her over the years.

Troy nodded in agreement again, "That sounds like a good plan. I'll see what else I might be able to dig up knowing that Molly has some incriminating evidence on Liam. With all the stuff he's done, I'm sure there's a lot that people could have collected on him over the years."

Veronica gave him a concerned look, "Just be careful. You can't do anything to help Debbie if you end up dead you know." She gave Logan a quick glance after she spoke to see how he was doing with every thing. She moved her hand down to rest on his thigh, and he reached down and squeezed it gently, then gave her a small smile.

"Thanks Veronica," Troy said with an almost shy look on his face. "It's nice to have a reminder of that every once in a while. I feel better knowing you'll be able to help her stay safe if something were to happen. I know I can count on you to do everything in your power to protect her if the need arises."

Logan gave Troy a grim smile as well, "Hey man, just stay safe so it doesn't come to that."

Troy looked a bit surprised at Logan's remark, and smiled back and nodded. He looked between the two of them and then smiled again, "I'm sure you know what it's like to want to do anything to protect the person you love most."

A small smile formed on Veronica's lips and she nodded and leaned closer and kissed Logan on the cheek. He squeezed her hand again and nodded as well.

Troy cleared his throat again and his expression became more serious. "Actually if something does happen to me, there might still be a way for me to help." Veronica gave him a questioning look before he continued. "In the safe there's also information about a tracking chip that's injected under my skin. If Liam's dumping bodies in one location, and something does happen, you might be able to finally find the evidence you need to take him down."

Veronica gave Troy a stern look, "Let's hope it doesn't come down to that Troy. I'm sure we'll find something else, so don't do anything too risky, okay? Of course you realize that if he thinks the missing woman was the one who saw him that night, then Debbie should be in even less danger now. As unfortunate as that is for that poor girl." Veronica felt a shiver run through her body at actually saying that out loud, though she'd been thinking it for quite some time.

Troy nodded slowly and then shook his head, "I still hope you find her alive, though knowing Liam, I'm doubtful."

The three didn't say much the rest of their meal, and then when they were finished, Logan politely offered to pick up the tab. Troy gave him an appreciative smile and thanked him before he left.

On the way out of the café Veronica's phone rang. Logan watched her as she spoke with whoever had called and caught her half of the conversation. She had initially thanked whoever it was for returning her call and agreed to meet them in about 30 minutes. He gave her an expectant look as she disconnected the call.

"That was one of the victims of the jewelry robberies. I've been going back through some of the old case files that are missing information to see what else I can find. They'd been out of town until late last night and were just now able to get back to me. I need to swing by their house, so I could drop you off at home first if you'd like. I'm thinking that having the Mayor tag along with me might seem a bit odd."

Logan gave her an understanding smile. "I could just wait in the car for you, so you don't have to make an extra stop. I don't mind. I'll just play games on my phone."

She raised an eyebrow at him a bit suspiciously. "What? Can't a guy work on getting a new high score on Angry Birds without being judged?" he protested when he saw the skeptical look on her face. She just laughed and shook her head. She put the address into the GPS once they were in the car and 20 minutes later they were pulling up in front of a very sophisticated looking 09er residence.

"Stay out of trouble," she teased as she climbed out of the car and headed in to talk to the woman who'd called.

She was about to ring the bell when the front door opened. Veronica immediately recognized the high school aged girl who had opened the door as Stephanie Whitman. She was holding the hand of a little girl with curly reddish hair and freckles. A woman in her mid-30's who had the same coloring as the little girl stood right behind them.

"Oh hello," She called out when she saw Veronica. "You must be Miss Mars." Veronica smiled and nodded.

"I'm Monica Spencer and I was just saying good bye to my daughter Amanda and our sitter Stephanie."

"Nice to meet you," Veronica said and held out her hand to Monica first and then Stephanie. "Stephanie Whitman, right?" Veronica asked, to which the young girl nodded, looking a bit confused. "I was at your father's office yesterday and saw a picture of you there. Neptune sure can seem like a small place sometimes."

"Well we're thankful it was small enough that we were able to find Stephanie," Monica replied. "She's by far Amanda's favorite sitter. We're just devastated that she'll be leaving for college in France next year." She pouted a bit and turned to Stephanie, "Are you sure there isn't any way we can convince you to stay and go to school locally? I hear Hearst has wonderful programs too."

Stephanie seemed to blush slightly at the compliment and shook her head in a slightly embarrassed manner. "You know Jake's been waiting all year for me to graduate and move over there with him. You don't want me to disappoint him, now do you?"

"I suppose since he's my nephew I have to say no right?" Monica teased back. "It still doesn't mean I have to like losing our favorite sitter. Well, I'd better let you two go so you can meet the other kids at the park. I'll see you in a few hours. Be good for Stephanie." Monica leaned down and placed a kiss on Amanda's forehead before she gave them one final smile and lead Veronica into the house.

The Spencer's were the second robbery that had occurred, and at that point it still seemed more like two random robberies than the beginning of a related string, so there were several things that were missing in the file. Veronica started by having Monica check over the list of people who might have had access to the house again. She encouraged her to think of anyone at all, even baby sitters who might have been there. Monica had laughed and said she doubted any of their sitters were cat burglars, but wrote down their names anyway. Veronica also asked to take pictures of the safe, which was an older style dial safe this time and not digital. After doing that she asked who may all have known the combination. Besides herself and her husband, she did say that Amanda knew the combination but couldn't think of anyone else who would have. She also asked who the jeweler was that the necklace was purchased from.

"Oh, I have no idea. Sadly, it was actually a family heirloom of sorts. My grandmother had passed it down to my mother, and then she passed it on to me." Monica explained.

Veronica said that she didn't have any other questions for now, and would get back to her if she did or if she had any news on apprehending the criminal responsible. She thanked her for her time and headed back out to the car.

"Did you beat your high score?" she teased Logan as she climbed back into the car. He gave her a playful smile, then shook his head and leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"How about you? Any big breaks in the case?" Logan asked as he started the car.

She shook her head. "I ran into Stephanie Whitman though. She sure seems to be a popular babysitter with all these 09ers."

"So, speaking of babies, Weevil texted while you were inside and asked if we wanted to stop by to see Natalia. They were released this morning and are already getting settled in at home." Logan explained as he pulled out of the driveway.

Veronica didn't reply right away, so Logan gave her a quick glance to figure out what was going on. "Other plans?" He asked curiously, since she hadn't mentioned what other things she needed to do.

"Norris was going to go back and interview people at the apartment complex of the missing woman and I wanted to talk with Leo about the recording." She replied tentatively.

"I see," Logan replied, a bit of disappointment apparent in his tone. He let out a disgruntled sigh before he spoke again, "So do you want me to take you back to the house first for your car, or drop you at the station and pick you up later?"

"I'm sorry Logan, but it is an important case and I want to be there to help as much as I can." She reached out and rested her hand above his knee.

"I understand," He replied, keeping his eyes on the road, his tone still a bit discouraged. "So which would you prefer?"

"You could drop me off and I'll get a ride back to the house from Norris and then we can go to dinner before we go to Growlers later. But you could still go visit Weevil and Carmen if you wanted to."

He nodded and gave her a quick smile. She could see through the smile though and could tell that he wasn't terribly happy that she was going to spend the rest of the afternoon working, but she felt like the case was too important to just back out of it now. Since he was already in a less than cheery mood, she decided to bring up a topic that had been bouncing around in her head since they met with Troy.

"So the Sorokin and Fitzpatrick connection is pretty surprising. Why didn't you mention it before?"

He shrugged and kept his focus on the road. "Like I said at the café, I don't think she has much involvement with her family. Leo and I couldn't find any specific evidence of direct deals between the two families. The Fitzpatrick's aren't exactly the same caliber of criminal as Russian mobsters, so maybe they never really found a reason to work together."

"I wonder if the evidence Molly has is something that would get him into more trouble with them or the authorities. She was pretty vague about that on the recording. I've been thinking that maybe we should try to set a trap to see if we can force Liam to make some bad moves."

Logan thought about what she'd told him and Troy about the case as he continued to drive in silence. When they pulled up to the Sheriff's station he turned and looked more intently at her. "Didn't you say that the woman's keys were missing that night?" Veronica nodded and looked at him with an interested expression. "What if a replica of the keys appeared in Gavin's possession, in such a way that it looks like Liam planted them there. I'd be willing to bet money that the keys didn't just disappear, but that Gavin lifted them off of her so they could get back into her apartment later. If she was as inebriated as he described when they left the bar, I'm sure it would have been easy for him to take them without her noticing. Knowing Liam, they may have snuck something more into her drink than just alcohol." Veronica shuddered a bit, her experience with GHB on multiple occasions still haunted her. "But you'd want to get the DA and Leo on board so you could get some legal phone taps to see how he reacts when you took action. Molly could slip too and you might be able to figure out what she has on him."

Veronica thought about the suggestion. "That's sort of planting evidence though Logan," she countered, though still trying to figure out a legal way to make it work.

"Does it matter if you're just doing it to smoke Liam out and not actually planning to charge Gavin for it?"

"I'll talk it over with Leo and see what he thinks," she gave him a loving smile. "You've got the makings of some great PI chops there mister."

"Well you know, once this Mayor gig's up, I'm going to be an unemployed bum, so maybe your dad would let me join the old family business." He said it in a teasing tone, but she couldn't help but wonder if he was partially serious. She raised her eyebrow in a questioning expression and he just laughed and shrugged. "Stay out of trouble this afternoon, okay? It's too hard to find a last minute date, and I don't want to go to Growlers alone tonight."

She leaned closer and kissed him on the lips, "Thanks for understanding. I'll see you tonight for dinner." He nodded and she climbed out of the car and headed into the office, giving him a little wave over her shoulder before she disappeared behind the door.

Veronica found Leo in his office when she arrived, so she closed his office door and filled him in on her meeting with Troy and let him listen to the recording. She shared her suggestion about saying it was a recording from her dad and taking it to the DA. She also shared Logan's idea with him. Leo thought both ideas had some merit and said he'd give it some thought and let her know if he came up with anything else. He wanted to be sure they were playing strictly by the book though because if they did nail Liam for anything, he wanted to make sure there was no way he'd walk.

Norris arrived a few minutes later and the two of them headed over to the apartment building to interview some of the neighbors. They didn't have much luck at the first couple of units, and moved on to the one that was directly next to Corina's. A teenage girl answered the door and they introduced themselves. The girl said her mother would be back in a moment, as she had just gone back to the laundry room to put clothes in the dryer. They took a seat on the couch that she motioned them to and she went back to working on homework at the kitchen table. A few minutes later, her mother came back carrying an empty laundry basket, a bit surprised to see a uniformed deputy and a strange woman sitting in her living room. They quickly explained what they were there for.

"Oh yes, that poor girl. I saw the news report this morning and instantly recognized her as our neighbor. I didn't actually talk with her much since she was coming and going quite a bit with her college work, but she was always friendly when we would pass each other."

"Did you hear anything suspicious last Saturday night, early Sunday morning? It probably would have been sometime after midnight." Veronica asked her in a friendly tone.

"I'm afraid I work the night shift at the hospital, and that was one of the nights I was working so I wouldn't have been home until around 7am. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when I did come home though."

"How about your daughter?" Veronica asked as she looked over to the young girl at the kitchen table.

"Oh she doesn't stay here when I'm working. She stays with her father so she wouldn't have been home that night either."

Veronica caught a look pass the girls face as her mother spoke that looked like worry, but she didn't say anything.

"Actually you stayed over at Christy's house last weekend didn't you, Jenny?"

The girl nodded and kept her eyes locked on her papers.

_Ah the classics… tell your parents I'm staying at your place and you're staying at mine, and have a party in an empty apartment. _"Well if either of you think of anything that would help us, will you please let us know?" Veronica took out her card and handed it to the mother.

Once they'd left the apartment, Veronica turned to Norris. "Did you see the look on the kid's face?" He shook his head. "I'd bet money that she knows something but doesn't want to get in trouble for being at the apartment when she wasn't suppose to be." Norris seemed a bit surprised, but didn't argue with her. "One of them has to go back for the laundry, and when they do, I want to talk to the girl alone. If you want to interview a few other neighbors, I'll just sort of hang out and watch for an opportunity." Norris agreed and headed on to another unit in the complex.

The opportunity came about 30 minutes later when Jenny came out of the apartment carrying the empty laundry basket. She frowned when she saw Veronica hanging around outside and headed toward the laundry room. "So Jenny," Veronica said in a friendly tone as she caught up with her. "I was a teenager once too you know, and I'd be willing to bet you weren't at Christy's house Saturday night were you."

Jenny let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "Please don't tell my mom though. I'd be in so much trouble if she found out."

"Look Jenny, I don't want to get you into trouble, but I also really want to find out what happened to Corina." Veronica spoke in a compassionate voice. "Tell me what you saw or heard on Saturday night, and we'll see if we can't keep you out of trouble with your mom. But if we need you to come and make a statement at the station, we'll have to let her know since you're under 18." Veronica was guessing she was only 15 or 16.

Jenny looked completely frightened all of a sudden and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't see or hear anything." They'd reached the laundry room and she started taking clothes out of the dryer and putting them into the basket.

"Jenny please," Veronica pleaded with her, "Corina could be in serious trouble, and we just want to find her and get her back safely." _Unlikely she's still alive at this point, but that would likely only make it worse on the kid._ "If something ever happened to you or your mom, wouldn't you want someone to help find you?"

Jenny nodded, but still looked terrified and didn't say anything.

Veronica continued on, "Did you hear something suspicious that night?"

Jenny finally let out a discouraged sigh and nodded, "Yeah. There's this guy, Todd, that I've sort of been dating, and he'd stopped by to see me and Christy, but he had snuck out of his friend's house and needed to get back before he was caught missing by his friend's parents. I'd walked him out front to say goodbye and we were…." She hesitated for a moment and Veronica nodded to encourage her to continue. "We were kissing in front of the door before he left, and I heard the door to Corina's apartment open. It scared me and I may have yelped a little, and Todd had laughed at me slightly, but then no one came out and the door closed again. I didn't think anything of it until you showed up today."

Veronica nodded in understanding. "Do you know what time it was?"

Jenny looked down at her feet and sighed again, "Yeah it was about 2am. We'd watched a couple movies and then he needed to get back and so after the movie we started at midnight was over, he decided he'd better go."

"And you didn't see or hear any thing else?"

Jenny shook her head. "So do you have to tell my mom?"

Veronica gave her a sympathetic smile, "For now I think we can just keep it between us, and I'll talk it over with the Sheriff and let you know. It does help to know someone was in her apartment at 2am though, so thank you for doing the right thing and telling me. And I'd suggest not lying to your mom anymore, okay? No more secret sleepovers when she's working the night shift."

Jenny nodded and grabbed her basket and headed back to her apartment.

Veronica texted Norris to let him know she was done talking with Jenny and to meet her at the car when he wrapped up with the person he was currently talking to. About 5 minutes later he walked up to where she was leaning against the car waiting for him. He hadn't learned anything new from the people he'd talked with since they split up. She filled him in on what Jenny had told her.

"Well at least we have a time frame to work with, and it seems very likely she was taken that night and not later in the week." Norris said as she finished. She nodded in agreement and they decided to see if anyone else at the complex had seen or heard anything suspicious around that time. They didn't have any luck though, and headed back to the station to talk the case over with Leo.

So far they hadn't received any tips from the press release, so Leo was glad that they had at least made a little progress with the information from Jenny. Veronica suggested seeing if Mac could find anything on the traffic cameras around that area of town now that they had a time frame to work with. Leo said he'd talk more with the DA on Monday as well to see what other options they might be able to pursue. After Veronica spent a bit of time updating her jewelry case files, she asked Norris for a ride home. She chuckled a bit to herself as he dropped her off and told her to have a great night. _Yeah, spending more time with Alexis, sure to be a blast_


	11. Chapter 11 - Chaos

_**A/N – I just wanted to apologize in advance that I might be a little slower on the updates on this story since I've been working more on my Dangerous Curves Ahead story the past two weeks. At least this update is a pretty long chapter with a lot going on to tide you all over if I'm a bit later than a week with the next update. Hopefully it won't be much longer than a week, but I guess I've been more motivated to work on the other one since I've been getting so much more of a response on it. I know there are a lot of people reading this one too and I do appreciate it, I just don't seem to get as many comments/reviews as the other story. If you haven't read the other one yet, you should check it out too. It will give you something to do while you wait for the next update over here. **_

_**And I guess I picked the title to this one because there really is so much going on in this chapter I couldn't come up with a good title for it. I'm really bad at titles!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas (I can just take credit for the not so nice ones I created.)**_

Chapter 11 – Chaos

Logan was still gone when Norris dropped Veronica off at the house. She was a little surprised that he wasn't home yet, so sent him a quick text message and then went to take a shower. She had just finished her hair when she heard the sound of the gate opening and shortly later heard his footsteps coming up the stairs. She'd stopped by Monique's earlier in the week to pick up a new dress for the night. She'd wanted something stunning to wear to make her feel more confident dealing with Alexis all evening. She walked out of the bathroom as he walked in the bedroom door.

Logan froze in his tracks when he saw her. The dress was a bit more form fitting than other dresses she'd worn recently, and only came down to mid thigh. It was styled similar to a bandage dress, though covered a little more skin than some of those. It was a vibrant blue and showed off her cleavage and her curves quite nicely. She smiled when she realized Logan was actually speechless. She gave him a questioning glance and slowly walked closer to him.

"You like?" She said a few feet from him, doing a little spin so he could see the back which also had a large cutout section running down between her shoulder blades to the small of her back.

She saw his eyes get darker as he finally regained enough composure to take a step toward her. She'd curled her hair, but left it down, so she wouldn't have to worry about a style that would get messed up dancing. He quickly pulled her in for a passionate kiss, running one hand up into her curls and the other down her back, pulling her snug up against him. She laughed against his mouth while they were still kissing, and then tipped her head back to look at him.

He shook his head at her. "You're expecting me to make it through dinner and dancing with you looking that smoking hot?" he finally moaned as he gazed lustfully into her eyes.

She smiled deviously and nodded, reaching down to remove his hand that was against her back and twirling away from him. "Go get changed so we can go," she said with a little wink.

He still seemed to be completely entranced by her, and stood there just staring at her for a few more minutes before he finally shook his head. "You're a cruel woman, you know that?"

She smiled ruefully at him. "You can punish me for it later tonight," she said as she took a step back toward him and ran her hand slowly down his chest. He took a deep breath and tried to step toward her to pull her in again, but she kept her arm firm against his chest and shook her head. "Trust me, I'll make it worth the wait," she added with another little wink. She gave him a little shove, and then walked purposefully by him toward the door. "Don't keep me waiting, Romeo," she called out in a sultry voice as she left the room and headed back downstairs. She could hear him let out a frustrated sigh as she left, which caused a satisfied little smile to form on her lips.

Logan was downstairs a short while later, changed into expensive dress slacks and a button down shirt. He'd also shaved off the scruff that he'd left on for meeting with Troy in the morning. He was thankful to see that she'd put a jacket on while she was waiting for him so he was able to resist the urge to throw her over his shoulder and just take her back up to their room. He was definitely going to have a hard time keeping himself under control at the club with her dancing in that outfit in front of him. _Good thing the club has several dark corners I could sneak her off to._ "You look absolutely amazing tonight, if that wasn't obvious from my reaction upstairs," he said with a sly grin as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He was rewarded with a loving smile and a quick peck on the lips before she took his hand and pulled him toward the garage.

He was trying to behave during dinner, although his hands had traveled up her thighs several times, earning him a few slaps on the wrist and scolding looks. She tried to keep his mind occupied with other things besides groping her by asking what he spent the afternoon doing.

"I spent some time with Carmen, Weevil, Elijah and the baby," he explained as he tried really hard to focus on her face and not her cleavage. "I offered to take Elijah to the park for a while and then we went over to Mac and Dick's house. I thought Carmen and Weevil would appreciate an afternoon of just focusing on them and the baby. I know they missed him while they were at the hospital, but he seemed to be feeling a bit overwhelmed with the new baby being there and the offer to go the park really cheered him up. We had a lot of fun at the park and then he took a nap at Dick's, while Dick and I played video games for a while. How'd your afternoon with Norris go?"

Veronica told him about Jenny and the information they got about the time Corina was probably taken. Logan laughed a little about her picking up on the lie the girl told. "I don't remember you pulling any stunts like that in high school? Although we got into plenty of trouble even when your dad knew where you were," he teased as she finished her story.

Once they reached Growlers, he parked the car and then went around to open her door for her. He held out his hand for her and then as she stood up, he gently pushed her up against the side of the car and kissed her deeply again, "You are so sexy," he whispered in her ear as he grazed his lips against her skin.

"You're pretty sexy yourself," she purred back at him, enjoying the feel of his body pressed up against hers for a few moments. "We'd better head inside though and join the rest of the party."

He moaned softly against her neck then whispered back, "There's only one place I want to be _inside_ right now."

She laughed and shook her head before pushing him away from her. "You're just going to have to wait a little longer for that." She gave him a devious smile and then started walking toward the entrance to Growlers.

Logan quickly followed her, not really sure he could stand to let her out of his sight for the rest of the evening. _She's enjoying this a little too much._ He caught up with her and wrapped an arm around her waist right before they walked into the club.

The club was very crowded, and it took them a little while to find their way back to where the others were already sitting. Alexis and Casey were out dancing, but they found Tyler, Vanessa and Mac sitting at the table talking as they walked up. Tyler gave Logan an uneasy glance as he saw him approaching the table. Vanessa was thrilled to see them and hopped up from her seat to give them both a big hug. Her belly was slightly larger than the last time they had seen her, but she still looked absolutely beautiful. She quickly introduced Tyler to Veronica and took her seat back down beside him.

Mac stood up next and also gave them each a hug. "You look amazing Veronica!" She practically squealed as she greeted her. Veronica smiled and thanked her before taking a seat at the table too. Logan leaned in and asked if she wanted a drink, then asked the others if they needed anything and headed to the bar to collect a round of drinks. He was definitely giving Tyler a bit of a scowl, and Veronica noticed that Tyler relaxed quite a bit when Logan finally went off to get the drinks. Once he was gone, she saw Tyler lean in toward Vanessa and give her a kiss on the cheek before he wrapped his arm around her to pull her a little closer to him. Vanessa smiled back at him and gave him a quick kiss as well. Veronica felt a little better seeing the two of them together, especially since she wasn't picking up any signs of tension. Well no tension between the two of them, the tension between Logan and Tyler would likely need a very sharp machete to cut through.

Logan came back a short while later with their drinks and passed them around the table. After Veronica had taken a few sips of her drink, Logan asked her if she wanted to dance. She was impressed that he'd let her sit as long as he had since she knew he was anxious to get her on the floor where he'd have a legitimate reason to have his hands all over her. As they started to walk out to the dance floor, Alexis and Casey were on their way back to the table and crossed paths with them. Alexis had her arm wrapped around Casey's waist and a huge smile on her face.

"Wow, you're rocking that dress Veronica," Alexis said with a friendly smile and a very bubbly tone. "Thanks so much for coming. I'm so glad you two could make it." She gave Logan a quick hug, while Casey gave Veronica a big smile and then hugged her as well.

"Well I was going to ask for a birthday dance with Logan, but with how hot you look in that dress I doubt I could pry him away from you." Alexis said teased with a sly smile. "Have fun you two." She took Casey's hand and led him back to the table.

"She seems to be in a good mood," Veronica commented as they found a spot on the floor to dance. Logan nodded, but he seemed to be more focused on watching Veronica in her dress than caring about Alexis's mood.

After dancing for a couple of songs, they decided to take a break and visit with the others. When they reached the table, Veronica decided to take a quick trip to the restroom and Mac said she'd join her, so the two of them left the others at the table. On the way to the restroom Veronica caught site of Tommy and Kennedy near the bar. The two of them were talking to each other and hadn't noticed Veronica as she walked by them with Mac. They were talking somewhat loudly to hear each other over the music. Veronica heard Kennedy say she'd need at least 15 minutes and not to screw it up. _Well that's a bit curious. _They continued on their way to the ladies' room without being spotted by either of them. When they eventually made their way back to the table, they found only Logan and Dick there talking at the table.

"Is everyone else out dancing?" Veronica asked as she took the seat next to Logan, watching as Mac sat down next to Dick and gave him a big kiss.

"Tyler and Vanessa are out dancing, but Tommy stopped by and he and Alexis went out on the patio to talk for a few minutes and Casey went to get her another drink."

"Was Kennedy with Tommy?" Veronica asked curiously. Logan shook his head and gave her a concerned look. "I saw Tommy and Kennedy talking to each other when Mac and I headed to the restroom," she explained seeing his reaction to her question.

Veronica glanced over toward the bar and spotted Casey and Kennedy talking. _Oh this can't be good. _Casey took a shot that Kennedy handed him, and then she pulled him out to the dance floor. Veronica nudged Logan and then pointed toward Casey and Kennedy. He shook his head again and his look became even more concerned.

Tommy and Alexis appeared at the table as Casey and Kennedy were starting to dance to their third song together. Veronica noticed that Dick gave Tommy a disapproving look right before she noticed that Alexis seemed a bit more out of sorts than she did earlier. Her eyes were definitely glassier and she seemed to be stumbling a bit when they walked over to the table. Tommy had wrapped his arm around her waist to help steady her and get her to the table without stumbling. After they sat down at the table, it took her several minutes to realize Casey wasn't there waiting for her. "Where's Casey?" she finally asked, to which the other four just shrugged.

"Maybe he's in the men's room," Tommy said as he put his arm around her and smiled at the others.

Alexis didn't seem convinced though and turned to scan the club for him. Veronica noticed the second her eyes landed on the two of them on the dance floor by the way her posture changed. Kennedy seemed to have intentionally positioned them, so Casey's back would be toward their table and he wouldn't be able to see when Alexis returned. Kennedy had one hand twisted up into his hair and the other hand up under the back of his shirt. She placed a couple kisses along his neck as they danced suggestively together. Veronica was a bit surprised how friendly Casey seemed to be getting with Kennedy as well.

Alexis turned back to the table and announced that she needed to use the restroom and quickly stood up to leave the table. Veronica watched her head toward the ladies room, but then saw her changing course and headed back out to where Casey and Kennedy were dancing.

"Oh shit," Veronica blurted out, which of course got everyone's attention. She pointed to Alexis who was quickly closing the distance to the other two. Tommy jumped up and went to intervene, with Veronica, Logan and Dick quickly following behind him. He wasn't quite fast enough though and Alexis pushed Kennedy away from Casey and yelled out a few expletives before punching her in the face.

"You bitch!" Kennedy yelled back, as she held her hand up to her bloody nose, "You're going to pay for that!" Kennedy shoved Alexis, and given her impaired state, she staggered a bit before regaining her balance.

By that time, they'd all made it to the area with Tommy grabbing a hold of Kennedy and Logan grabbing a hold of Alexis to pull them away from each other. Dick waved at the bouncer that was on his way over, to let him know they had it under control.

"I think it's best if you two leave," Dick said in an angry voice to Tommy and Kennedy. Tommy didn't argue, and turned Kennedy toward the door.

Casey seemed completely dazed and confused about what had just happened. Vanessa and Tyler had noticed the commotion and came over to see what was going on as well. Alexis pushed Logan's arms off of her and stormed over to Casey, shoving him in the chest, causing him to stagger a bit as well. "What the hell were you doing with that slut?" she snapped at him. He just shook his head and still seemed to be completely confused about what was going on.

"Lexi, I…." he stuttered out, "I don't know." He rubbed a hand over his temple looking as though he was still trying to process what was going on.

"I want to go home," Alexis said as she turned toward an equally shocked and confused Vanessa. "Please take me home Nessa," she pleaded with her sister. Vanessa put her arm around her and started back to the table where they'd left their coats. Tyler followed closely behind them after looking uncertainly at the rest of them.

"Are you okay Casey?" Veronica asked, growing concerned that something didn't seem quite right about the entire situation since his behavior seemed really off. He gave her a puzzled look and shook his head. She wrapped her arm around his waist and gave Dick and Logan a worried look. "Come on Casey, let's get you back to the table." Logan walked closely on the other side of Casey in case he needed any more assistance. He had also noticed that something seemed to be wrong with him.

By the time they made it to the table, the other three had already grabbed their stuff and left. Mac gave them all a questioning expression as they walked over, apparently not getting much information out of the others before they left. Dick pulled Logan to the side while Veronica helped Casey into a chair.

"Dude, you need to talk to Lexi," Dick told Logan in a concerned tone. "She was in here last weekend with Tommy and was definitely really high on something, and I'd be willing to bet he gave something to her when they were on the patio. You know better than I do about some of her past problems. Hanging out with a Fitzpatrick who has easy access to all sorts of illegal drugs is not a good combination, man."

Logan shook his head, not really wanting to get involved. "Why don't _you_ talk to her?"

"I did last weekend and she just brushed me off," Dick replied, "You know she'd listen to you though."

Logan sighed and looked back over at the table. "I'll think about it, but I'm not sure right now she'd listen to me either."

They moved back closer to the table. Mac had gotten Casey a glass of water. He had his elbows up on the table with his head resting against his hands. Veronica stood up and walked over toward Logan, leaning closer so she could talk to him without everyone overhearing. "There's something really odd going on with this entire situation. I'd be willing to bet that Kennedy put something in that shot she gave Casey. What do you think she was up to? Just trying to piss Alexis off knowing she was here for her birthday?"

Logan shrugged, "Seems like a lot of work to just piss her off, not to mention she's the one that got punched in the face."

Mac stood up and walked over to them, "Dick and I are going to give Casey a ride home since he came with the other three and seems really out of it now. I think we might just take him back to our place so we can keep a close eye on him."

Veronica and Logan agreed that they thought that sounded like a good idea. They told Mac to let them know if there was anything they could do.

"So, this night has turned out pretty unexpectedly," Veronica said after the other three left. "Or is this how Alexis's birthday parties always turn out?"

Logan shook his head, still not quite believing how the night had gone. "No, this is definitely not a normal occurrence." He took a moment to look her over again from head to toe and back up again. He gave her a suggestive grin. "So are you ready to blow this pop stand and head back home so I can have my wicked way with you?"

Veronica gave him a sly smile and wrapped her arms around him, grinding up against him. "Are you sure you don't want to stay and dance some more with me?"

He leaned down and gave her a deep passionate kiss while he ran one of his hands all the way down her back to squeeze her ass.

"I'll take that as a no," she said with a laugh as their mouths separated. He nodded and placed a few kisses down her neck and along her collar bone.

"Maybe we should go find a dark corner of the club," He moaned against her skin, "I'm not sure I can make it all the way home."

She shook her head and pulled away from him. "Come on Romeo, what I want to do to you, I don't want to do in some dark corner of the club." She reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door.

Logan had seemed fine when they left the club, but she noticed he seemed to get a bit quiet once they were driving and he was occasionally fidgeting with the steering wheel. She thought maybe it was because they didn't get to spend much time with Vanessa and Tyler to see how things were really going between the two of them.

"Hey, maybe we should see if Vanessa and Tyler want to meet us for brunch in the morning." She suggested, thinking that might help if that's what he was worried about.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. I'll text her when we get home."

She kept watching him and didn't notice any change in his demeanor. _Something else must be bothering him._ "Is everything okay, you seem a bit distracted?" _...and not in a good way_.

He shrugged and sighed. After a few more minutes of silence he finally spoke, "Can I ask your advice on something?"

"Of course, you can always ask me anything Logan," she quickly replied, surprised that he felt like perhaps he couldn't.

"It's about Alexis," he added, realizing that he probably should have clarified that at the start.

_That explains his hesitation._ "Sure, even about her." She tried to sound understanding at least.

He took a deep breath. "Dick mentioned that she was there last weekend with Tommy and appeared to be pretty high on something. I think she probably took something tonight with him again, but it sounds like she was even worse the prior weekend."

Veronica nodded, "yeah, I sort of wondered that about her tonight also."

"She actually got into trouble with drugs at UCLA which is why her parents made her transfer to Hearst. Jackson and I talked about it a little, and he was always worried she was going to relapse and get into trouble again. I think her parents made her do a little bit of rehab, though she never really wanted to talk about it." He paused a moment and then continued. "Dick mentioned something to her last weekend, but she just blew him off. He thought I should say something to her, but I'm not sure if I should get involved." He hesitated again for a moment then sighed and continued. "I sort of feel like I owe it to Jackson to say something though and to try to keep her out of trouble, but I'm worried about whether that's going to bother you."

Veronica reached over and gently put her hand on his leg. "She's still your friend, and if it really is something that could be a big problem for her, maybe you should at least try to see if she'll listen to you. I understand why you would be concerned."

He turned for a moment to look at her to check her expression and gave her a grateful smile. She could tell he was really worried about it, maybe even more than he was letting on, and wondered if there was more to it than he had told her, but that was between the two of them and she decided she'd let it go. _Maybe a leopard can change its spots._

When they arrived home, Logan sent Vanessa a quick text about brunch as they walked in from the garage. She replied back a few minutes later that she'd love to meet them for brunch, and they picked a café that Logan knew Veronica really enjoyed. Veronica had grabbed a quick drink of water and was walking back out from the kitchen to where he was standing in front of the breakfast bar.

"Is it finally time for me to have my wicked way with you?" he asked as he gave her a lustful gaze and moved closer to her. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her in for a deep kiss. His hands were soon moving down to her hips and then he lifted her up and set her on one of the stools by the breakfast bar. He told her to wait there for a minute, and went over to where the control panel on the wall was and started some music that played through out the house speakers.

He walked back over to her and reached out his hand for her. "May I have this dance?" She smiled as she realized the song was the one he'd picked for his dedication song to her when they first got back together. He pulled her over to the living room area and they started dancing and kissing, with quite a bit of groping as well. Logan quickly found the zipper on her dress and before she knew it, the dress had fallen down to her feet and she stepped out of it as they kept dancing. She started working on the buttons of his shirt, and after she'd only gotten a couple of them undone, he impatiently pulled the shirt off over his head. Soon he had moved her over toward the couch, and they fell on it together as the song ended and another one began to play. She was way too lost in the moment with him to even notice what song was playing next. After thoroughly ravishing each other on the couch, they ended up falling asleep there, their naked bodies wrapped together under a blanket Logan had grabbed from the back of the couch right before he fell asleep holding her tightly.

Veronica woke up to a very strong smell of coffee in the morning and realized she was still on the couch. She could hear Logan getting coffee mugs out of the cabinet and then a moment later he was in front of her holding out a mug for her. She pulled the blanket around her naked body and reached for the cup. He gave her a wicked grin and pulled the cup slightly away from her. "What happened to my always naked edict?" She shook her head at him and gave him a little glare, holding her hand out for the cup. He finally relented and handed it to her, then leaned in and kissed the top of her head. She took a few sips of the coffee, then set the mug down, shed the blanket, and ran up the stairs naked, laughing as he chased her all the way to the shower.

After fooling around in the shower, they had to rush a bit to get ready to go meet Vanessa and Tyler for brunch on time. They were a little surprised they still arrived at the restaurant before the others and requested a large table in case Alexis joined them too. They'd decided on the way over in the car that if Logan could get a moment alone with Alexis, he'd talk with her about his concerns, but if not he'd wait until another time, since he didn't want to worry Vanessa with it given she had enough to deal with already with her pregnancy.

Shortly after they had been seated, Vanessa and Tyler arrived. They came in the door holding hands and looked like a couple that was really in love. Veronica was happy to see that they seemed to be getting along really well.

"No Alexis?" Logan asked as they sat down.

Vanessa smirked and shook her head. "No she was a little tied up from last night still." She giggled a bit, "perhaps literally tied up."

Tyler looked a bit uncomfortable and shook his head.

Vanessa noticed the confused looks from Logan and Veronica so decided to explain. "On our way out of Growlers last night, we ran into Tommy who said he was really concerned about Lexi. He must have shoved Kennedy into a cab and sent her packing or something since she was no where in sight. He convinced Lexi to let him come home with us, and they were still recovering in her room when we left a little while ago."

Veronica noticed Logan looked a bit concerned about that development, but he didn't say anything about it. Veronica thought back over the night's events again. _Now I wonder if Tommy wasn't the one orchestrating all of it to get Casey out of the picture. Kennedy could have just been a convenient pawn for him to use, versus her being the one that set it all up. _Veronica's thoughts on the situation were interrupted by the waitress coming over to check on them to see if they were ready to order.

Vanessa talked a bit about things they'd been doing to get ready for the baby and then nudged Tyler and said he should tell them about his exciting news.

"A good friend of mine from high school recently moved back to California, and he wants to start his own charter boat company, so I'm going to go into it with him as a full partner. I'll be in charge of the boating side of things, and he'll handle the business side of things like advertising and reservations." Tyler explained, mostly looking at Vanessa as he spoke. He still seemed to be quite terrified of Logan, but glanced at him a few times as he explained their plans for the new company. Vanessa seemed really proud of him, and smiled lovingly at him as he spoke. "I'm going to focus more on that for now, and put the band stuff on the back burner for a while. With the baby coming in a few more months, and the new business, I decided that would take a lower priority for now." He gave Vanessa a loving smile back, "Maybe after little Jackson is older, I'll be able to teach him how to play guitar though." Vanessa leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek when he was finished talking.

The rest of the meal went well, with Vanessa sharing some other stories of visits with her parents and how they seemed to be genuinely excited now about becoming grandparents. Logan and Veronica said they'd try to get over to Catalina again in a few weeks to see them again and spend some time with them on the island as they parted ways after they were all finished eating.

Logan had sent a text to Weevil when they were done eating to see if they could pick up anything for the new parents to help them out. Weevil asked if they could pick up a few groceries and some lunch for them, which they happily agreed to do. Logan sent a text to Weevil when they arrived at their house so if anyone was asleep the doorbell wouldn't wake them up. Weevil met them at the door with the baby held snuggly in his arms and whispered that Carmen had just fallen asleep with Elijah in their bedroom and gestured for them to come in. Natalia was still a bit awake, which was why he was walking with her to keep her from waking the other two up.

"She's so beautiful," Veronica whispered to Weevil as she looked at the tiny little baby.

"You can hold her," he whispered back, as he grabbed one of her arms and positioned it so he could pass the baby off to Veronica.

Veronica was a bit nervous at first, but she'd held Dillon's niece when she was just born, so she quickly started feeling comfortable with Natalia too. She carefully went over and sat down on the couch with her and Logan followed her over and sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her, looking down at the little baby. The baby was quickly starting to doze off, and after a few minutes she'd fallen asleep in Veronica's arms. The three of them sat in the living room in silence at first and then Weevil noticed the bags that Logan had set down when they came in and got up to take them into the kitchen. They'd picked up a big container of lasagna that Weevil and Carmen could easily reheat later if they wanted to, so he put that in the fridge since Carmen and Elijah were napping. He returned to the living room a few minutes later to find Logan asleep too with his head resting up against Veronica's shoulder and Veronica sitting comfortably just watching the baby sleep in her arms.

"You look like a natural," Weevil whispered as he sat back down in a nearby recliner and winked at her. "I think you need one of your own."

She smirked and slowly shook her head at him. _Someday maybe, but not too soon._

Weevil leaned back in the recliner and Veronica noticed after about five minutes that he'd fallen asleep too. She sat quietly just watching Natalia sleep. She was so tiny, but you could already see a lot of Carmen in her features. After about 30 minutes, Veronica heard footsteps coming down the hallway and looked up to see Carmen coming in the room with a surprised expression on her face. She shook her head when she saw Weevil and Logan were asleep. She reached down and grabbed the remote and flipped on something with the volume turned down so they had something to watch without disturbing the baby or the guys. Carmen snuggled up next to Veronica, and leaned over to trace her fingers along the baby's cheeks.

"She's so beautiful," Veronica whispered to her.

"Thanks," Carmen replied and gave her a warm smile. "You seem to be really comfortable with her. I'm so glad you both stopped by."

They two women sat there alternating between looking at the sleeping baby and watching some home improvement show Carmen had put on the TV. The baby actually woke up before the guys, and Carmen took her from Veronica so she could feed her. Carmen took her back to the nursery after she was done so she could change her diaper and brought her back out a few minutes later all swaddled up again.

"Any chance you could hold her again for a little while, so I can take a quick shower? I know I should probably just put her down in her crib, but I'd feel better knowing someone was watching her while I'm in there." Carmen whispered when she came back out.

"Of course," Veronica replied with a warm smile and reached out to take her again. Natalia was still awake and fussed a little when Carmen handed her off, but she quickly quieted down as Veronica shushed and rocked her slightly. Carmen gave her a grateful smile, and disappeared back down the hall again.

Veronica sighed contently. _What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon_. It still amazed her how wonderful all of her friends' lives had turned out and how lucky she was to be back with them all again in Neptune. Even though she and Logan still had some challenges to get over, the last month had been so amazing with him. She still had a hard time believing that in a few more months, Mac and Dick would also have a little baby in their life. She'd lost track of time just reflecting on things when she heard foot steps in the hall again. This time Elijah was with Carmen and gave Veronica a tentative smile and then noticed Logan sleeping next to her. His face lit up and he ran over and climbed up next to him.

"Unka Wogan," Elijah said in a quiet voice as he lightly shook his shoulder.

Logan woke up a bit confused about where he was at first, then smiled at Elijah and reached out to pull him in for a hug as he gave Veronica a sheepish grin. "I'm so sorry I fell asleep," he whispered to her realizing she was still holding the sleeping baby.

She smiled and shook her head at him, "You've had several tough nights lately, there's no reason for you to feel bad about that." She gestured with her head over to where Weevil was still asleep in the recliner too. "You weren't the only one who fell asleep on me either."

Logan smiled back and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. He took Elijah out to the backyard to play for a while, so he wouldn't wake Weevil or Natalia. He mentioned the lasagna to Carmen on the way out. She whispered a quick thank you to him and warmed some up for her and Elijah to eat. Elijah had his on the patio with Logan and Carmen snuggled up next to Veronica and Natalia again to eat hers.

"You need one of your own," Carmen whispered to Veronica after she was finished eating.

Veronica shook her head, "You're as bad as your husband." Carmen smiled and nodded. "Maybe someday, but I think we'll be waiting a while before we take that step."

Carmen shrugged and smiled back, "Maybe when Mac has hers you'll decide you want to join the mommy club too." Veronica gave her a surprised look since she didn't realize that Carmen knew about Mac's pregnancy. Carmen gave her a conspiratorial smile and winked. "You know Logan will make an amazing dad, right? He's been so wonderful with Elijah, even if he was a bit terrified of him when he was a baby." She laughed softly, "Even Weevil was a bit worried he wasn't going to know what to do with a newborn when Elijah was first born, but he quickly figured it out. I'm sure Logan would be great too."

Veronica smiled smugly and shook her head again, "I've only been back a little over a month. I think we'll take it a little slower than jumping right into procreation already."

"We'll see," Carmen replied a bit skeptically with a mischievous smile.

They ended up staying the rest of the day with them, hanging out and helping with the baby and Elijah. Veronica was impressed with how comfortable Carmen and Weevil were with everything and enjoyed watching them work together to take care of the baby while making them feel right at home too. They even talked Logan and Veroncia into staying for dinner and watching a movie, before they finally let them head home for the night.

Logan noticed Veronica had a peaceful smile on her face on the way home, and gently reached over and squeezed her hand. "Someday?" He asked, not really needing to say more.

She gave him a loving smile and nodded. "Yeah, someday," she replied in a soft dreamy voice. He smiled back and intertwined his hand with hers as they drove the rest of the way home.


	12. Chapter 12 - Milk & Cookies

_**A/N – Thank you so much for all the reviews for the last chapter! It was by far the most this story has gotten for one chapter so I really appreciate it and did want to get another chapter out for you all.**_

_**I thought I'd mention that I actually wrote a portion of this chapter before I finished the first Lightning story (The part after Logan's part in the beginning). I was thinking some might wonder if I went on some strange tangent, but it really was planned all along but I had other things I wanted to cover before this part (karaoke with Heather, the poker party and the birthday party for starters). I actually had this complicated plan of all the things I wanted to cover and which day different things would happen on. I really am a bit OCD with this!**_

_**As always, please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I really do appreciate them all. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 12

Logan had to leave early Monday morning for a meeting at City Hall. Veronica was still sleeping, but she woke up a bit when he leaned in and gave her a kiss goodbye. When he arrived at City Hall, he saw Alexis pull into the parking lot right after he got out of his car, so he walked over to have a quick talk with her before he went in for his meeting.

"Good morning," Logan said as he watched her climbed out of her car. She gave him a surprised look, and then smiled at him as she grabbed her bag and closed the door.

"To what do I owe this unexpected greeting?" Alexis asked suspiciously as she leaned against her car.

Logan took a deep breath and gave her a worried look. "I think you probably know after how you were at the club Saturday night."

Alexis shook her head and pushed off from the car and turned to walk toward the building.

"Lexi, wait," Logan said in a low tone grabbing a hold of her elbow. Alexis stopped and turned back to him giving him an angry glare. He gave her a serious look before he spoke again. "Look, I think it would be better for you if you were to stay away from Tommy."

Alexis laughed angrily, "Are you serious?" She yelled and shook her head. Her tone remained elevated when she spoke again. "You don't get to tell me what to do. If you want to tell someone what they can and can't do, you should try your girlfriend. In case you've forgotten, that's not me anymore." She turned to walk away again, and he once again reached out and grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Alexis, I know you've been taking drugs with him and I think you're getting a bit out of control. You even punched Kennedy at the club Saturday night." Logan stepped closer to her so he was standing right in front of her. Logan's tone was also sounding a little angrier the more he spoke. "We both know how much trouble you could end up in if you don't stop. Tommy is a bad influence on you and I think you should stop spending time with him."

Alexis shook her head and glared at him, "It's none of your business, so just leave me alone. You're not my boyfriend, so you have no right at all to tell me what to do." She shoved him in the chest and turned toward the building again.

"Lexi," Logan pleaded. She stopped for a moment, but didn't turn to look at him. "I thought I was still your friend. I don't want something bad to happen to you, and I'm afraid if you keep this up you're going to spiral out of control and I don't want to see that happen." She shook her head without turning and walked quickly toward the building.

Logan stood there for a moment and watched her disappear into the building. He sighed and shook his head, then walked in as well. _Well, I don't think that could have gone any worse than it did._

Back at their house, Veronica heard the gate opening sound from the security system as she got out of the shower. She didn't expect Logan to be coming back, and it wasn't the day that one of the house keepers normally arrived, so she quickly put on some clothes to head downstairs. She heard the front door open, and someone punching in the security code as she came out of their bedroom. She walked down the stairs and thought she heard someone in the kitchen, so headed in that direction. She turned the corner and came face to face with two big brown eyes staring up at her.

"Hi, who are you?" Veronica asked the little girl with dark brown eyes and light brown hair, who was grinning back at her. Her eyes were nearly identical in color and shape to Logan's. Her smirk also seemed identical to his. It caught Veronica completely off guard and her heart started beating faster in her chest as she stared down at a little mini female version of Logan. The little girl was probably around 5 or 6 years old Veronica estimated.

"Who are you?" the little girl asked back with out answering Veronica.

"I'm Veronica." She gave her the friendliest smile she could muster given that she had no idea who this little girl standing in her house was, who bore a shocking resemblance to Logan, or how she could have even gotten here.

"I'm Abigail," the little girl said with a friendly smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," Veronica replied with a questioning look on her face, still wondering who this little girl was and how she even got into their house. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here sometimes too," she said casually and turned and headed back to the kitchen.

Veronica stood frozen in her spot for a few seconds, trying to process what on earth could be going on. A daughter seemed to be a terribly large oversight for Logan to have forgotten to mention, but the resemblance was haunting. She shook her head and followed Abigail into the kitchen. Abigail was opening and closing several of the drawers. "Where did he hide the cookies?"

Veronica eyed her suspiciously and then went over to the pantry and took out a package of Oreos. "It's breakfast time you know?" Veronica asked and when Abigail just shrugged, she handed them over to her anyway.

"Thanks, can I have a glass of milk too?"

Veronica got a cup out and went to get the milk. "How did you get here Abigail? You seem a bit too young to drive."

Abigail giggled. "My mommy brought me. She had to get some stuff from the car." Veronica looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face as she heard the front door open and close again.

"Logan? Abigail? Where are you?" A female voice called from the entry way.

Veronica handed Abigail the cup of milk and headed to the front door. As she turned the corner, she practically ran into the woman who had just come in. She was about six inches taller than Veronica with dark brown eyes and long auburn hair. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Veronica and she quickly stopped moving.

"Where's Logan?" The woman asked suspiciously, starting to look nervously around the parts of the house she could see from where they were standing.

"He's at work," Veronica replied, "Can I ask who you are?"

"I'm Cassandra." She had a concerned expression on her face. "Can you give me a moment," she asked as she took her cell phone out of her purse and pointed to it. Veronica nodded and stood there with her arms crossed.

Cassandra pressed a contact on her phone and turned away from Veronica and paced back toward the front door.

"Hey, it's me. I thought I was supposed to drop Abigail off at your house, so expected you to be here." She looked over her shoulder at Veronica. "Yes, she's here." Cassandra paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, I thought you'd gotten the message, but that's not my fault. I have a flight to catch in an hour so I really don't have any other options." She fidgeted with her purse strap and glanced back at Veronica. "Three weeks." She started pacing again and biting at her thumb nail. "I know it's longer than last time, but that's how long this assignment is. Okay, I'll tell her. Thanks." She ended the call and put her cell back in her purse.

"Logan said he'd call your phone in a minute." Cassandra said with an apologetic expression on her face. "Where did Abigail run off to?"

"Kitchen," Veronica said with a slightly annoyed look on her face. Her cell phone that she'd grabbed before she came down from the bedroom went off in her pocket a second later.

"Hey there Snookums," She said in an exaggerated sweet voice, "was there something you forgot to mention before heading off to work today?" _Or anytime in the last two months I've been back in Neptune?_

"Veronica," he replied in a soothing voice, "I didn't get the message. I didn't know she was coming. I'm sorry."

"Who is _she?_" Veronica asked with her voice becoming more agitated by the second.

"Shit," Logan said with a deep sigh, "Cassie didn't tell you?"

"No," Veronica said with her tone even more angry now, "_Cassie_," she emphasized the name even more, "didn't tell me anything."

"It's not what you're probably thinking then Veronica," he replied completely able to envision the expression on her face and the way she was likely standing. "Abigail is Charlie's daughter. She's my niece. Cassandra is Charlie's ex-wife."

_Well that explains the striking family resemblance._ "And why is she staying with you instead of Charlie?"

Logan sighed again, "Charlie's in Africa teaching and so I volunteered to take care of Abby when Cassie has to travel for extended work assignments. Usually Charlie sends me an email before, but I guess the area he's in he couldn't get the messages sent out or something. I'm so sorry I hadn't mentioned anything about this to you. It's been about six months since she's stayed with me and I just didn't think about it with everything else that's been going on since you came back. I'm really sorry Veronica." He sighed again, "Can you stay with her until I can get my schedule cleared and come home? If you have to go though, I'll try to find someone else who can come over."

Veronica sighed, "I'll stay. How long until you can get here?" She was definitely planning on having a serious conversation with him about all this when he got home.

"Hopefully not too long," She heard him pressing keys on his laptop, "I have a meeting in fifteen minutes and then after that's over I should be able to be there." He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry Veronica."

"Okay, see you later." She said sternly and disconnected the call. She took a deep breath and put on her best fake smile, and headed back to the kitchen. She noticed Cassandra had brought in several suit cases and set them by the front door.

"Did you straighten everything out with Logan?" Cassandra asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Yes, I'll watch Abigail until Logan gets home." She wasn't happy, but it wasn't exactly Cassandra or Abigail's fault, so she tried to keep that in mind.

Cassandra gave Abigail a big hug and a kiss on the forehead and said she'd call her as soon as she could once she was settled in. "Please be good for Uncle Logan and…" She turned to look at Veronica, "…Veronica." Abigail gave her mom another hug then took off toward the game room.

"Thank you Veronica," Cassandra said as she walked toward the door. "I'm so sorry that this was so unexpected for you. Charlie usually has everything set up in advance. You can be sure I'll be giving him grief over this when I can reach him."

Veronica smiled and gave her an understanding look as Cassandra walked out and closed the door behind her. Veronica took her phone out of her pocket and called the station. Norris was the one who answered the phone and she let him know she was going to be tied up for the morning and asked him to let Leo know too. She'd check in later if she was detained longer but told him to be sure to call her if there was any new information on Corina's case.

She put her phone in her pocket and headed into the game room. Abigail had turned on the TV and put it on a cartoon channel. "Do you like Scooby Doo?" Abigail asked as Veronica sat by her on the couch.

"Sure, I guess." Veronica answered and Abigail turned at her with a skeptical look.

"Uncle Logan really likes them," she informed her and turned back to the show. "Aloha, Scooby-Doo is our favorite because they surf in it and Uncle Logan loves to surf."

Veronica smiled patiently at her. "I love to surf too and I love solving mysteries. I actually work for the Sheriff's Department."

Abigail eyed her suspiciously. "Do you want to watch that one with me then?"

Veronica shrugged and Abigail jumped off the couch and opened a cabinet by the TV and pulled out a DVD case and put the DVD in the player. She went back over by Veronica and pushed a couple buttons and started the DVD. _Great, the kid knows how to work Logan's things better than I do_.

They'd been watching the movie for about 45 minutes when Veronica heard Logan come into the house. He must have heard the TV since he headed straight into the room without calling out to see where they were.

"Hey, my favorite Scooby movie!" Logan announced as he came in and took a spot next to Veronica on the couch. Veronica gave him a little scowl, though she knew it wasn't completely his fault she was blindsided by them this morning. He gave her a sheepish smile and kissed her cheek.

"Uncle Logan," Abigail practically screamed and jumped out off her seat so she could go over and hug him.

"Wow, I swear you've grown a couple inches since the last time I saw you." Logan said as Abigail stood back from him and smiled. "Can you stay in here and finish the movie, while Veronica and I talk for a little bit?" Logan knew she'd want to talk, even if she hadn't requested it yet.

"Don't you want to find out who did it?" She asked Veronica with wide eyes, seemingly shocked that she could leave before the mystery was solved. "I could pause it for you and watch something else until you're done." She offered as she sat back down on the couch by the remotes.

"Thanks Abigail. If you want, but it's up to you." Veronica replied, a little surprised that the young girl was being so thoughtful. Abigail had already hit pause and switched back to the original cartoon channel before she even finished talking.

"I think she likes you," Logan whispered in her ear. Veronica gave him a small smile and stood up from the couch.

"Thanks, we shouldn't be too long," Veronica said as she headed toward the door.

Logan followed Veronica out of the room. She took a seat on the couch in the living room and gave him a bit of a scowl. He sighed and stared back at her. _First my fight with Alexis, now this, no wonder people hate Monday mornings._ "So you've met my niece and ex-sister-in-law." He started, stating the obvious.

"Yes, thanks for mentioning their existence earlier… oh wait, you didn't." She shook her head, still a bit annoyed that he hadn't bothered to mention them at all in the almost two months that she'd been back.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't think about it. They sort of float in and out of my life and aren't really a constant presence, and I was so caught up in just enjoying my time with you, that it just slipped my mind." He gave her a small smile and a wink. "It's not my fault you're so sexy and distracting."

Veronica sighed and rolled her eyes at him before she spoke again. A little grin spread across her face at the way he was looking at her. "How did they end up even being a part of your life? When I left, Charlie wouldn't even speak to you."

Logan nodded and a grim expression crossed his face as he remembered the entire ordeal with the Vanity Fair imposter. He took a deep breath before he started to explain. "Actually, it's because of Alexis."

_That probably explains why he wasn't keen on getting into this particular topic of conversation before._ She nodded for him to continue since he seemed to have stopped waiting for her reaction.

"When Alexis and I were first getting to know each other, of course we'd talked about family and siblings. She'd read that I had a half brother, and was really surprised that we'd never even met. Of course I'd told her how much I regretted how that all happened, with the complete misunderstanding that lead to Charlie not talking to me at all."

Veronica cringed a bit thinking of the role she'd played in all of that. She'd regretted that she wasn't able to figure out a way to fix that for him when it happened because she could see how much it had hurt him at the time. But then they'd broken up shortly after and she hadn't given it much more thought.

"Alexis seemed to make it her mission to patch things up between the two of us, and she can be very tenacious when she sets her mind to something. Charlie and Cassandra were already married at that point, and somehow Alexis tracked down Cassandra and talked with her first. The two of them hit it off, and Cassie was able to talk Charlie into getting to know me."

Veronica sighed and gave him a small smile. _Alexis helped bring his brother and him together, while my involvement likely led them to being estranged from each other even more than they already had been._

Logan noticed her expression had changed to be much softer than it had when they first sat down. She almost looked a bit sad now. "Hey, what are you thinking?" he asked, wanting to be sure she was completely comfortable with everything. He reached up and pushed some stray strands of hair behind her ear and looked at her curiously.

"I'm just happy you finally did get a chance to know your brother," she said softly. _Even if I wasn't able to do that for you._

Logan nodded in response. "He's actually a really great guy. Of course he was a bit pissed at first with the whole, Larry King interview, but Alexis eventually won him over for me. Hopefully he'll be back for Christmas and you can meet him then. He's spent most of his time in Africa since they divorced a couple of years ago, though I know he really misses Abby. He flies back a few times a year and sometimes Cassie and Abby will go and visit him there too."

"I'd love to meet him," Veronica said as she finally reached out and squeezed his hand. "So what do you normally do with Abby when she's here and you have to work?"

Logan sighed again and made a face that Veronica recognized as one she wouldn't like the answer to. "Well usually it's only for a week or two, and Alexis has been able to take off time too, so we'd split her time up between the two of us."

"Oh," Veronica replied. It made sense that if Cassandra and Alexis had become good friends, that she'd be involved with Abigail's life too.

"Obviously, I don't think that's really going to work this time though," Logan added as he watched her carefully. "I let Felicia know that we might need to shift some things around on my schedule for the next few weeks, so we'll work something out. I was going to see how busy Mac is to see if she could help me out a little bit too. Abby really loves Mac and Dick too, and Mac might be able to do some work from home for the next couple of weeks. I sort of hate to try to hire a nanny for just 3 weeks and would feel better of course if she's with someone we know."

Veronica nodded. "I might be able to help a bit too, but I'm not sure how much time this missing person case is going to take."

Logan nodded. "Actually I have a couple important meetings tomorrow morning, so if you could watch her then, I'll relieve you as soon as possible and then I'll keep working on plans for the rest of the time."

Veronica nodded and gave him a small smile, "I'm sure we can make that work. There is after all, an entire Sheriff's department to keep working on things when I'm not there. You know, I say jump and they all say how high." She gave him a more playful smile.

Logan visibly relaxed as she spoke. He was relieved that she wasn't furious about the entire thing and that she was willing to be flexible and help out with Abigail too. They heard the door to the game room open and Abigail came out and ran to the bathroom down the hall. "Sorry!" she yelled as she ran.

"It's fine," Logan called after her with a little laugh. When she came back out of the bathroom she peeked in at them to see if they were done talking. Logan smiled and waved for her to come over.

"So what do you want to do this afternoon munchkin? I have the rest of the day off, but I think Veronica probably needs to go into work, right?"

Abigail looked a bit shocked, "Don't you want to see who the Wiki-Tiki is?"

Veronica nodded, and gave Abigail a quick smile, "Of course! It's almost over right? We can finish it up, but then I need to go work on some cases at the Sheriff's department just like the Scooby gang."

"Cool," Abigail answered then turned back to Logan. "Can we go visit Aunt Lexi? I love playing at the park that's by her house."

Logan sighed slightly, remembering his fight with her that morning that he hadn't gotten a chance to tell Veronica about yet. "Sorry Abby, but she's working today, so I don't think so. But I could take you to the park if you want. Why don't we finish the movie, and then get your stuff settled in the guest room, and then we'll go to lunch and the park. I also need to make some calls to make plans for who's going to be watching you while you're here."

Abigail gave him a little pout, "Why can't Aunt Lexi watch me when you're busy like she normally does?"

Logan looked quickly at Veronica then back at Abigail. "I think she's got a pretty full schedule at work right now getting ready for the winter carnival, so I don't think she'll be able to take time off. We'll figure something out though, so don't worry."

Abigail looked questioningly at Veronica. "Can Veronica watch me when you're busy?"

Veronica smiled back and nodded, "We'll figure something out. I'm working on a couple important cases with the Sheriff's department, but I should be able to find some time to help watch you too."

"Okay," Abigail answered. "Let's go finish the movie." She headed back to the game room, with Logan and Veronica following closely behind. She sat on one end of the couch and Logan sat next to her with Veronica on his other side.

"I knew it was Manu!" Veronica announced when they unmasked the Wiki-Tiki. Logan and Abigail laughed at her.

"If only your real cases were that easy," Logan teased as he leaned toward Veronica and gave her a quick kiss. She gave him a little pout and nodded her head.

Logan stood up and held his hand out for Veronica to pull her up from the couch, then turned to Abigail. "Let's go get you unpacked kiddo, and let Veronica head into work for a while."

They all headed toward the stairs. Logan grabbed the bags that Cassandra had left and followed the two girls up the stairs. Abigail ran into the guest room on the West side of the hallway and started bouncing on the bed. Logan started unpacking her stuff, while Veronica went into their room to finish getting ready for work. Once she was ready she popped her head into the guest room to let them know she was leaving.

"Have a fun afternoon," she said as she gave Logan a quick kiss. "I'll see you two later. Call me later if you want me to pick up something for dinner."

"Pizza!" Abby yelled as she continued to bounce on the bed. "Can we have pizza for dinner?"

Veronica laughed, "Sure Abby. I can bring home some pizza. What kind do you like?"

"Cheese!"

Logan gave Veronica a little smirk, "You know what kind I like. Don't get into too much trouble chasing the bad guys today."

When Veronica arrived at the station, Leo was still over at City Hall talking to the DA about Corina's case. Norris said they hadn't received any new useful tips yet, though there was a call from someone who recognized her from that night at The Clover. The woman's story corroborated what Gavin had told them. That she'd been pretty inebriated by the time they left the club and that she saw her leave with a man fitting Gavin's description.

Mac arrived a short time after she had gotten there to start helping them with the traffic cam reviews. Veronica said she'd help her for a little while and they went into one of the interrogation rooms where Mac set up her laptop.

"You know it's more fun when we're actually breaking in to look for stuff," she whispered to Veronica with a wink. Veronica smiled back and nodded.

There were only a few intersections near Corina's apartment with traffic cameras, and after going through the feeds from around that 2am window they hadn't come up with anything conclusive. They'd looked at a map ahead of time and knew there were a few routes someone could have gone that wouldn't have traffic cams, so they weren't surprised they came up empty handed. They did happen to spot Gavin taking her home though, and could tell from the shot, that she seemed to be leaning against the car door with her eyes closed. They also saw his car leave shortly after arriving, fitting with the story he'd given them the night he'd been brought in.

To kill time as they were looking through the feeds, they talked a bit about Abigail and Cassandra. Mac apologized that she hadn't mentioned something about them either, but similar to Logan's story, they only saw them a couple times a year, and she hadn't thought to mention it. She did say there was a time before Charlie and Cassie had divorced that Logan spent more time with them and so he had a pretty good relationship with Abby, even though lately she hadn't been around as much. Cassie worked for a marketing company and tried to work on accounts that would keep her in San Diego where they lived now, but occasionally she had to go out of town and that's how Logan ended up taking Abby when she was gone. Mac also said she'd see what she could do to help with Abby while she was here.

Veronica also mentioned the ordeal with Casey. She'd checked in with Mac briefly the day before, but they hadn't been able to talk long then.

"Casey crashed at our place when we got him there and then he just seemed badly hung over in the morning." Mac shared. "Dick gave him a ride back to Alexis's house where he'd left his car. He said that he'd watched Casey go up to the door but no one answered, so then he got in his car and left. He didn't seem to have any idea in the morning why someone would have done that to him, but he also said he didn't drink enough for it just to be from alcohol."

Even though Veronica hadn't been thrilled about Casey and Alexis being together, she still felt bad for Casey since it seemed like Tommy and or Kennedy did something to cause all that to happen. She convinced herself that maybe he was better off if it was just over since obviously Alexis wasn't planning on anything long term with him. At least it wasn't her meddling that had caused an issue this time.

"I'd be willing to bet money that Kennedy put something in that shot she handed him, though I still haven't come up with any logical reason why she would have done that, other than to piss Alexis off or if Tommy had asked her to do it to get Casey out of Alexis's life. If it's the latter, I'm sure she was pissed when she got slugged in the face."

Mac shook her head, "Poor Casey. I know he tried to call Alexis before he left our house, and she didn't answer her phone."

_She was probably too preoccupied with Tommy._ "Maybe it's for the best if it's over. He's such a nice guy now, he really deserves someone who will treat him better," Veronica said in reply. They went back to reviewing the footage in silence for a while.

"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't come up with something more helpful for your case," Mac said as they finally finished going through all the feeds.

"Not your fault," Veronica quickly replied, giving her a small smile. "It would have been nice if we'd actually caught Liam on camera in the area, but I guess it's not going to be that easy to nail him for this. Of course if it was a Scooby Doo mystery we'd have found some clues." Mac gave her a strange look and then they both laughed.

Mac looked at the door quickly to be sure there weren't any Deputies right outside. "You know there are other types of cameras that we might be able to tap into besides traffic cams." She lowered her voice a bit more, "But some of them aren't exactly 'public' systems, if you know what I mean." Veronica nodded, thinking back to the ATM picture her dad had gotten for her when she was working on the Hearst rapist case.

"Maybe we could scout around the area tomorrow and see if we can find any potential cameras near her apartment that we could investigate. Of course you may be able to get a warrant for some of them too." She smile and lowered her voice again, "Of course it's always more fun to get into them other ways." Veronica laughed and shook her head at Mac.

"Well let's try to keep the FBI off your case," she leaned closer and whispered back, "I think Dick would be a bit annoyed with me if his first born was actually born when you were behind bars."

Mac smiled and nodded in agreement. "Well we could still scope it out and I could let you know if we find any cameras that might be possible options. I have some other appointments this afternoon though, so can't do it until tomorrow." Veronica told her that as soon as she knew what the plan was for Abigail, that she'd get a hold of her for the next day.

Leo returned to the office as Mac was getting ready to leave, so they gave him a quick update, and then Veronica followed him into his office after saying goodbye to Mac to see what the DA decided.

"He said he wanted some time to think it over before going to the judge for a warrant for some phone taps." Leo explained as he took a seat at his desk. "Of course he was pretty set against planting any evidence on Gavin to try to smoke Liam out that way." Leo looked a bit disgruntled at that, but didn't say anything to contradict Roger's decision. "We can of course put some pressure on them without resorting to that, and maybe if they are worried enough they might slip. But we should hold off to see if we can get some phone taps first." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Maybe our _friend_ will find something useful in his search. I sure hope he doesn't get himself into more trouble doing that though."

Veronica nodded in reply, "I did give him a quick call earlier this afternoon and he said he hadn't found anything yet, and didn't think anyone was suspicious of what he was up to."

After they were done talking, Veronica decided to go through the calls to the tip line again in case the deputies answering the phones had missed something that would jump out at her. There hadn't been more than a couple dozen calls though, and she also didn't find anything helpful there. Several were from other college students who had seen her on campus the week before she went missing, but nothing that helped with the case.

She finally decided to call it a day, and phoned in a pizza order to Cho's. She picked up a small cheese pizza for Abby and a larger pizza for her and Logan to share with their favorite toppings and headed home. When she came in from the garage she was surprised how quiet the house was. She set the pizzas on the counter and went to put her coat in the entry way closet before she went in search of Logan and Abby. She knew they were at home because his cars were in the garage, although they could have been down on the beach. She let out a startled little scream when she opened the closet door and found Logan hiding in it staring back at her.

"Shhhh!" he whispered as he grabbed her and pulled her in and closed the door quietly behind her.

"What…" She started to ask him what on earth he was doing, but he covered her mouth so she couldn't talk. It was pitch black in the closet, so she couldn't see him at all. She removed his hand from her mouth and whispered instead. "What's going on?"

"We're playing hide and seek," he whispered back to her. "You have to be quiet so she doesn't find me."

She laughed slightly, and then was surprised by his hands running down her back and grabbing her ass, while he placed a deep kiss on her lips.

"Logan," she sternly whispered back as one of his hand started to un-tuck her shirt and find its way up to her chest. "You'd better keep this G-rated if a 6 year old is looking for you."

He started nibbling on her neck. "She's only 5," he countered back in a low whisper against her skin.

She giggled and shook her head, "that makes it even worse you know."

"Well she's almost 6, next month," he said, his voice even more lust filled than before. His hand slipped under the fabric of her bra, while his lips continued kissing her neck. "I really missed you today, and there's something sexy about making out in a coat closet," he teased as he continued to place kisses on her neck.

"Logan," she scolded in a whisper and reached up and grabbed his face in her hands, pulling it off her neck. "G-rated!" she said a bit more firmly than before, as much as she could with a whisper anyway. In the dark though, she couldn't tell what he was even looking at, but at least having his mouth off her skin made her feel a bit better about the possibility that Abigail could open the door at any moment.

He let out a frustrated sigh and pulled his hand out of her shirt. "Fine," he replied in a petulant tone. He gave her a quick kiss and then wrapped his hands around her in a hug instead. "I'm glad you're home, even if I don't get to have my way with you in the closet."

She laughed again and hugged him back. Then they heard little footsteps running down the hall outside the door. She tried not to laugh at him when he held his breath as the footsteps stopped right outside the closet door. _Like holding his breath is going to keep her from looking in the closet._ A second later the light from outside the closet flooded in on them and Abigail squealed with delight. "Found you!"

"Good job munchkin," Logan replied with a smile. "And look, I found Veronica. So you know what that means?"

"Pizza!" she yelled and ran back towards the kitchen.

Logan laughed and spun Veronica around so her back was pressed against the back wall of the closet. "That should have bought me at least 2 minutes," he said as he pressed his body against hers and gave her a deep kiss.

She kissed him back for a minute, and then pushed him slightly away from her. "Come on Romeo. We'd better go help her before she makes a mess out there all by herself."

He sighed, but took a step back so she could walk out of the closet.

"I think I'm going to drag you back in there after she's asleep so I can finish off the fantasy I started in my head when you found me there," he whispered in her ear as they walked to the kitchen.

She shook her head and laughed at him, but didn't object either.

While they ate their pizza, Abigail happily told Veronica all about their afternoon and how much fun she had playing at the park. She asked Veronica if she solved any mysteries like the Scooby Doo gang while she was at work. Veronica told her not yet, but they were getting closer. Logan looked at her a bit skeptically because he could see through to the frustration she was feeling with her cases. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the head after she was done talking. "I'm sure you'll get a break soon," he said in a soft reassuring voice.

A little while after they finished their pizza Abigail talked them into watching another Scooby Doo movie before she had to go to bed. She asked if they could have some popcorn while they watched it, which Logan happily agreed to make for her. This time Abigail picked Scooby Doo Where's My Mummy to watch. They also decided to watch it in the media room so it was on the larger screen. Logan took a seat on one of the larger double seats and Veronica curled up next to him. Abigail was sitting in her own chair sprawled out with her head on a pillow. Logan took advantage of the dark room to let his hands roam all over Veronica's body. She nudged him a few times when he started getting a bit too frisky and gestured toward Abigail. He'd give her a little pout and sigh, and then start all over again a short while later.

Abigail was starting to yawn before the movie was even over, but she did stay awake to the end. After it was over she asked Logan if he'd carry her up to her room. Veronica gave him a little look that implied he was totally wrapped around her little finger and he just shrugged and told Abigail he'd giver her a piggy back ride upstairs. Veronica said she'd take care of turning everything off downstairs and meet him up in their room as soon as she was done.

He was still getting Abigail tucked into bed as she walked by and stopped to say goodnight to her too. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the head and said to have sweet dreams before he came out and joined Veronica. He took her hand and started to pull her back to the stairs. She gave him a questioning look.

"Remember…. Closet?" he said waggling his eye brows at her.

She laughed and shook her head and pulled him back to their room. "Let's not traumatize the kid on her first night here. I could just see her waking up and thinking there was some strange monster in our downstairs closet if she heard noises coming from it."

Logan gave her a little pout, but followed her back to their bedroom. "Fine, but I'm still planning to have my way with you in that closet soon."

She gave him a playful smile and leaned up to kiss him. "Maybe we can play hide and seek ourselves when she's gone."

"Naked hide and seek?" Logan asked with a big smile.

Veronica gave him a sly smile, "My favorite kind."

A short while later they had finally climbed into bed. Logan leaned over toward her and rested his forehead against hers. "I really am sorry I forgot to tell you all about them. Thanks for being so understanding about it all."

She gave him a warm smile and kissed him softly on the lips. "I really am glad you were finally able to get to know Charlie. Abigail is a really sweet kid and you're really good with her too. She's lucky to have you for an uncle."

"Thanks Veronica," He kissed her again, then pulled her close to him and she snuggled up into his chest and drifted quickly off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13 - Enlightenment

_**A/N –I couldn't help but think how publishing this next chapter on Black Friday, which always sounds so ominous was fitting somehow. Of course the title of the story is Lightning Rod for Trouble, which was selected for a reason too just like the first story. I'm really interested to see all the reviews when people get done with this chapter. I know there have been some that are tired of Alexis, but she is still a part of their lives so she isn't going to just vanish completely. Her part in the story will take a different course after this chapter, which some may be interested in and others may not. I hope everyone sticks with me until the end, but completely understand if some decide not to. **_

_**As always, thanks to everyone who has given me wonderful support and feedback on the story. I really appreciate every review/comment that people leave me.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 13 - Enlightenment

Logan dutifully made breakfast for Veronica and Abigail before he had to leave for work. He had an urgent meeting come up that Felicia couldn't get him out of in the afternoon, in addition to his morning meetings, but luckily Heather had called the night before to tell him how she did on her latest writing assignment. When he mentioned Abigail being with them and trying to figure out logistical issues, she told him that she only had morning classes on Tuesdays, so she could watch Abigail when she was done so Veronica could go to work too.

He was making chocolate chip pancakes because he knew they were Abigail's favorite and Veronica would never complain about anything that involved chocolate. He smiled as the two of them sat across the breakfast bar watching him flip the first batch. Each had the same eager look on their face, trying to patiently wait for the pancakes to be done, but their expressions really gave them away. Veronica had already retrieved the maple syrup and powdered sugar from the pantry and the butter from the fridge. Abigail sat with her fork already clasped in her hand, while Veronica at least had the self control to not grab her utensils yet.

"I wonder if this is how zoo keepers feel at feeding time," he teased them as he brought a plate with the completed first batch over to them. Veronica rolled her eyes at him, but Abigail was too focused on grabbing the first pancake off the top of the stack to pay any attention to what he'd said. He stood there for a minute, completely amused at their excitement over their breakfast before turning back to the stove to make another batch.

He finally finished cooking and sat down to eat his own with them. "So what do you two ladies think you'll do with yourselves this morning?" He asked between bites of his own delicious pancakes.

Veronica gave him a quick almost panicked look and shrugged. "What do you think Abby?" She asked her. Logan was a little surprised that she seemed to be a bit hesitant now about how they'd spend their morning. She hadn't mentioned anything to him up to then about being worried about spending the morning watching her.

Abigail had her mouth full of pancake and shrugged too. "We could play dress-up," she said as she finally swallowed the food and took a drink of her milk.

Logan thought he saw Veronica actually shudder at that thought, but she put on a smile and nodded. "Sure, or maybe we can come up with something else too."

Logan put the left over pancakes in the fridge and the dirty dishes into the dishwasher before giving Veronica a kiss good bye and patting Abigail on the head. "Be good for Veronica, okay kiddo?" Abigail smiled sweetly at him and nodded her head.

Once Logan had left Veronica turned back to Abigail again. "So what do you want to do now?"

"Do you not want to play dress up?" Abigail asked, clearly already setting her mind on that activity.

Veronica shrugged. "I don't know if I have much stuff that we could use for dress up."

Abigail gave her a puzzled look. "Do you not have pretty jewelry like Aunt Lexi?"

The mention of jewelry perked her interest since the case had still been frustrating her and she felt like she was missing something simple because expensive jewelry wasn't an area that she had any expertise in. "Does Alexis…" Veronica saw Abigail give her a confused look. "I mean _Aunt Lexi_…" she tried not to cringe saying it, but Abigail did seem less confused by using the name she was more used to. "Does she let you play with really fancy jewelry when you go to her house?"

Abigail nodded, "Yeah, she has lots of pretty jewelry. And sometimes when Stephie watches me, we play with her really special necklaces too."

Veronica's eyes popped open. "Stephanie Whitman? Has she watched you at Aunt Lexi's house?"

Abigail shrugged, "I don't know who that is, but Stephie has watched me, and she's a lot of fun. We play dress up and then have tea parties. Can we do that? Have a tea party and dress up?"

"Well I don't have that many fancy necklaces, but maybe we can find something."

Abigail smiled and hopped down from the stool at the counter grabbing Veronica's hand. She dragged her towards the stairs. "Let's go look at them," she cheerily said as she pulled on her hand. "Hats and scarves are fun too. Do you have those?"

"Um…" Veronica thought about it as she followed her up the stairs. "Yeah, I might have some scarves at least." Her hat selection had been pretty sparse since she went away to college.

Abigail seemed happy enough with the few necklaces that Veronica did own. She really liked the new peridot one that Logan had gotten her from Sylvia so Veronica let her wear it while they had their tea party. She also found a couple fancy silk scarves that she'd either been given as gifts or bought over the years, so they draped those around themselves as well. Abigail ran into her room and found a princess dress that her mom had packed and put that on too. She at least didn't force Veronica into putting on a fancy dress too.

They returned downstairs, with a couple of the dolls she brought too and sat around the coffee table in the living room. Of course Logan didn't actually have a tea set, so they just got some coffee cups and saucers to use. Since they'd just had breakfast, they just pretended they had something to eat and drink while they played. Abigail seemed to be having fun at least, even if Veronica wasn't quite sure exactly what to say or do since tea parties also weren't one of her areas of expertise.

They were just putting the cups and saucers they were using into the dishwasher when Heather arrived.

"Heather!" Abigail screamed as she saw her and ran over to give her a big hug.

"Hey there Abby," Heather said as she knelt down to hug her. "I can't believe how big you're getting. Are you having fun with Veronica? Nice princess dress there sweetie."

Heather gave Veronica a smile as Abigail nodded her head. Heather and Abigail took a seat at the breakfast bar to watch while Veronica finished up the dishes.

"Hey, you're friends with Stephanie Whitman right?" Veronica asked as she finished and came around to the other side of the breakfast bar. She had been thinking all morning about Abigail's comment earlier and wondered if Stephanie really could have something to do with the missing necklaces.

Heather shrugged. "Sort of I guess. I haven't talked to her since graduation though. We hung out more when I was dating Bradley since he was good friends with her boyfriend Jake."

"Do you know if she has a Facebook page or something? I wanted to show Abby a picture to see if that's who babysat her at Alexis's house a few times."

Heather gave her a puzzled look. "I'm pretty sure she does. Is there a special reason you want to know that?"

"Um... It's sort of related to a case I'm working on."

Heather's eyes got larger. Veronica's laptop was in her bag near the door and she brought it over to the breakfast counter to start it up. She searched for Stephanie's page and found it was set to private only and her profile picture was a cartoon character, not even her own picture. "You wouldn't happen to be friends with her on here would you, so we can look at her pictures?" Veronica asked Heather hopefully.

Heather smiled and nodded. "I think so, let me login and try."

Veronica smiled happily as the pictures all appeared after Heather logged on. "Is this Stephie?" Veronica asked Abigail once the pictures were loaded.

Abigail nodded her head and smiled. Veronica wasn't terribly surprised since Stephanie seemed to be popping up so frequently and she seemed to be a very popular sitter. She did wonder though if she had actually gotten expensive jewelry out of Alexis's safe or if Alexis even had a safe. Using a 5 year old to get information for a case wasn't really that reliable, so that meant she'd need to go talk to Alexis. _Well that's sure to be a fun conversation._

"So kiddo, what do you want to do now? Looks like I missed the tea party." Heather said with a big smile on her face. She gave Veronica a little wink.

"Can we play some video games?" Abigail asked excitedly.

Veronica made a little face._ I get tea party and she gets video games, how's that fair._

"Sure Abby," Heather said as she stood up from the stool. "We'll get out of Veronica's hair so she can go solve some cases. Does Veronica want her necklace back?" Heather must have remembered the peridot necklace she'd worn to karaoke.

Abigail nodded and turned so Heather could take it off. She handed it back to Veronica with a little smile. "Thanks Abby," Veronica said as she put it around her own neck.

"Let's go play now," Abigail said as she hopped down too and took Heather's hand to lead her back to the game room.

Veronica said a quick good bye as they wandered off, and then grabbed her laptop and headed out to the BMW. Veronica stopped at the Sheriff's office before she walked over to City Hall. She headed into Leo's office to see what progress they'd made on Corina's case since she'd last spoke with him. Leo said he finally did get Roger to agree to go in front of a judge to request approval for the phone taps, so at least that was starting to move along.

"Did you ask about getting a warrant to search Gavin's place too? Nothing really shakes someone up like deputies searching through your belongings." Veronica asked with a devious grin on her face.

Leo returned her look with his own mischievous smile. "Yep, I asked him to request that too given Gavin was the second to the last person that we know of who saw her alive, especially with the suspicion around her missing keys. Of course the fact that Gavin lives with his mother will make that even better for rattling Liam's cage."

Veronica gave him a bigger smile. "Maybe we'll find out how much influence Stella actually has over Liam too."

Veronica checked the latest log of the tip calls and didn't see anything new to help their case, so decided to walk over to City Hall. She stopped by Logan's office first and Jenny said he would be in a meeting for a little while longer. She said she'd stop back by in a bit and headed to Alexis's office. Her assistant wasn't at her desk but Alexis's door was open so Veronica went over and knocked lightly. Alexis was looking at her laptop and glanced up when she heard the knock. She had a less than friendly look on her face but raised her eyebrows at Veronica. "Are you here to lecture me too?" she asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

_Logan must have finally had his talk with her. I'll have to check with him about how that went later. I'm guessing not well from her expression._ Veronica shook her head, "no actually I was hoping to talk to you about a case I'm working on."

Alexis looked a little surprised and gestured to the chair in front of her desk. Veronica tried to put on a friendly smile and took a seat. "Abigail mentioned something this morning that I wanted to ask you about."

"Oh that's right, Cassie told me last week that she was going out of town again and bringing her to Logan's. How's that going?" She leaned back in her chair and gave Veronica a questioning look with a tinge of smugness.

_Of course she knew and we didn't get a heads up at all._ "It's going great so far," Veronica replied with a smile. "So anyway, I'm working on this big jewelry theft case and she mentioned playing with your jewelry when Stephanie Whitman was watching her."

"Oh… well we've worn some of my necklaces when I'm there to, so Abigail would know where my regular jewelry is in my closet. I'm not surprised she'd talk Stephanie into getting into it with her."

"She said they played with fancier ones when Stephanie was there. Do you have more expensive ones locked up in a safe?"

Alexis had a puzzled look on her face. "Yeah, but they couldn't get into it." She smiled and laughed after a moment, "Stephanie's not some master jewel thief, Veronica. I've known her for several years. She'd never do something like that. She's just a kid still in high school."

_Yeah, you'd be surprised how much trouble high school kids can get into. _Veronica shrugged. "She's been a sitter for all the families I've talked to so far."

"Well she is great with kids and does sit for a lot if families around town so that's not surprising." Alexis added, her expression seemed more skeptical now.

"Do you have any pictures of the jewelry you keep in the safe that I could show Abby?"

"Um... I suppose. I usually wear them to events at Hearst so they would be in their pictures. You can go to their online archive and check."

Veronica nodded and smiled. "Thanks for the help." She stood up and was about to the door when she stopped. _I'm going to regret this I'm sure._ "Hey, about Saturday night and Casey..." Alexis's smile fell. "I really think Kennedy put something in his drink. I don't know why she did, but I really think he was setup for some reason."

Alexis sighed. "Yeah, he's left me a few messages apologizing and saying basically the same thing."

Veronica kept the cringe she felt hidden. "I know he likes spending time with you and I just thought I'd mention it." She started to walk out again when Alexis called her back.

"I have a box of toys that Abby left the last time she stayed with me. She'd probably like to have them while she stays with you and Logan. Logan can stop and pick them up later if he wants to."

Veronica gave her probably the friendliest smile she had ever managed before. "Thanks. I'll let him know… and I know she'd like to see you sometime soon too while she's here." Alexis gave her a small smile and nodded before Veronica turned again and left.

Veronica stopped by Logan's office again before she left City Hall. Jenny gave her a friendly greeting. "Logan's free right now, but he does have another appointment arriving any minute."

"Thanks Jenny," Veronica replied as she headed into his office. Logan was looking down at his laptop when she walked in the door. "You're next appointment is here Mayor Echoll's" she said in a fake nasally voice, as she gave him a sly smile and closed the door behind her.

He looked up and gave her a lascivious smile. She walked over while he turned his chair toward her. She carefully climbed into the chair so she could straddle his lap. "Mmm…" he moaned as he grabbed her hips and pulled her even closer. "What a nice surprise." He gave her a deep kiss as she ran her hands along his shoulders and up into his hair. They finally broke apart a bit breathless and rested their foreheads together. "I wish all my appointments were this much fun." She laughed a bit and gave him another quick kiss.

"Did you come over to City Hall just for a quickie with me?" He asked in a lecherous tone.

She shook her head and leaned back a little farther from him. "No, actually I came to talk to Alexis."

A surprised expression crossed Logan's face. "Okay… do I dare ask why?" He gave her a questioning look. "Was security involved?" He gave her a little wink.

"Actually it was related to my jewelry case."

Logan's eyes opened larger. "Did someone steal one of her necklaces?"

Veronica shook her head. "No it was something Abby said this morning. She said that when Stephanie watched her at Alexis's they played with her fancier necklaces."

Logan furrowed his brows. "You think Stephanie has something to do with it? She's just a high school student you know." She raised an eyebrow at him and didn't need to say a word. "Okay… I suppose that doesn't mean much around Neptune does it?" She smiled and nodded her head. "Still Veronica, you've got to admit it seems a bit far fetched."

She sighed, "Maybe, but she's been a sitter for all the families I've talked to so far. And all those families didn't mention her until I asked, so she could have worked for the families I haven't talked to yet too."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," he said confidently as he pulled her back for another passionate kiss. He finally let out a deep sigh and pulled his head back. "I really do have another appointment coming any minute."

"I know, and I should get back to my office too." She gave him another kiss then climbed off his lap. "Oh, Alexis also said she had a box of Abby's toys at her house if you want to stop and pick them up later."

"Sure, I can stop and pick it up on my way home. Did you need me to pick up dinner too?"

Veronica shook her head. "No, Abby said she wanted spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, so I'll stop and pick up a loaf of French bread and make it when I get home. Oh, and I invited Heather to stay and have dinner with us too."

"Sounds good." He stood up and pulled her toward him for one more deep kiss. "Thanks for stopping by. It definitely made my day so much better." She smiled and nodded and then walked with him toward the door. She gave him one more quick kiss before she opened the door to leave.

"I love you," he said quietly as she was about to walk out of his office.

She turned back to him and smiled. "I love you too. See you in a few hours."

She stopped at a coffee kiosk on her way back to the Sheriff's office. As she was paying for the coffee, her phone chimed with an incoming text and she saw it was from Mac. She asked if Veronica still wanted to go scouting for other possible camera feeds for her case. Mac had just finished up another appointment near the Sheriff's Office and said she could pick her up in a few minutes. Veronica popped back into the Sheriff's Office to let Leo and Norris know where she was off to, and then headed back out front to wait for Mac. Mac pulled up a few minutes later and Veronica climbed in and they headed toward Corina's apartment complex.

Once they arrived they parked near Corina's unit, and then got out of the car and started walking on foot to search out possible security cameras located nearby. There were two ways to exit out of the complex, so they picked one direction and started walking. They used their phones to take pictures as they walked of possible options. There was a coffee kiosk nearby, that of course would have been closed in the middle of the night, but Mac noticed there was a camera mounted on it. The girl working at the kiosk, didn't know much about the security system, but gave them the name of the man who owned the booth that she worked for. Mac wasn't sure the angle would give them the view they'd need, but it was at least a possibility.

"So how are things going with Abby?" Mac asked as they walked along after leaving the coffee kiosk.

"Well she's only been here for a little over one day, but so far things are going good. She's a pretty well behaved little girl." Veronica shared as she hunted for potential cameras. "She definitely has Logan wrapped around her little finger."

Mac laughed and gave her a look, "What?" Veronica asked with a look of indignation on her face. "Are you implying I also have him wrapped around my finger?"

Mac laughed a little harder and nodded her head. Veronica shook her head and grinned, "Well this is the first morning he's actually made chocolate chip pancakes, so I think she wins."

"Right…" Mac said, still smiling at her. "Maybe we should just call it a tie?"

Veronica smirked at her and nodded. "Okay, maybe we both have him wrapped around our fingers the same amount. Although I didn't get a piggy back ride up to bed last night!"

Mac laughed even harder and shook her head. "By the time she leaves in three weeks, you'll be all ready for one of your own."

Veronica scoffed, "Taking care of a five year old is nothing like taking care of a baby! Not to mention we've just barely gotten back together. I think talk of children is way too premature at this point."

"Fine," Mac relented, but kept a little grin on her face. Veronica just shook her head at her.

"So how are your wedding plans coming along?" Veronica asked, trying to change the subject.

"You know, it's not too late to plan a double wedding!" Mac said with an uncharacteristically amount of glee in her voice.

"Oh my god!" Veronica blurted out. "Have those pregnancy hormones completely ruined your mind! Stop suggesting all these completely crazy ideas!"

Mac laughed again. "It's like I've been possessed or something isn't it?" Veronica nodded vehemently in response. "But it really is fun to see your reactions too." She gave her a little wink. "The planning is going well. We've decided to use the yacht club since an outdoor wedding won't be feasible in the winter time."

Veronica smirked back at her. "Ah yes, a wedding at the yacht club. And then I suppose you'll retreat to your floating mansion to start your honeymoon." Mac actually blushed slightly which made Veronica giggle a little. "Should I have Logan hang empty beer cans off the back of the yacht and make a big "Just Married' banner to hang off it too?"

"Um…" Mac thought for a moment, "I think the yacht club has rules about that sort of thing, so no. But you're actually right, we were going to take the yacht out after the ceremony and probably head down toward Mexico for a short honeymoon trip. I'm hoping my morning sickness is all over by that point, because I really don't want to be on a boat when I'm already feeling queasy. Hey, you and Logan could take his yacht down too and we could meet up a few days into the trip and spend some time together at some of the more enjoyable ports." She smiled deviously again, "You never know, you might both get so swept away by the romance of our wedding that you'll want to elope and get married down in Mexico." She giggled a bit more, "Actually Dick is an ordained minister, so he could marry you, anytime, anywhere."

Veronica stopped walking and gave her a horrified look. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Mac doubled over laughing for a moment, and then stood back up. "Sorry, I shouldn't have threatened you like that. But your expression was almost as good as when Logan and Dick were worried Carmen's water was going to break all over their feet."

Veronica finally spoke, "You were joking right?"

Mac slowly shook her head. "Actually one of his fraternity brothers asked him to marry him and his fiancé, so he went online and got ordained so he could do it for them." Mac tried to keep from laughing by biting her lip as Veronica's eyes got even wider. "Anytime, anywhere…" she whispered again, drawing a gasp from Veronica. Mac couldn't help laughing again.

Veronica shook her head. "If I start having horrible nightmares about Dick marrying me and Logan, I'm going to make you regret this!"

Mac kept chuckling, "You'd better be careful saying 'I do' around him. You never know what you might be agreeing to."

"You're absolutely horrible!" Veronica said with a laugh. Mac shrugged and gave her a mischievous grin.

After walking for a good hour, covering both directions someone could have left the apartment complex, they had compiled a list of about a half dozen possible camera options. Veronica said she'd talk with Leo about how he wanted to proceed. Mac thought there were a couple options that would be better than the others, but the question would be how long they kept their historical videos and if they could get access.

"Of course if you want…" Mac said suggestively. "I could do a little freelance poking around and let you know that ahead of what you hear from Leo."

Veronica gave her a scolding look. "Remember… baby… born behind bars… not a good thing?" Mac just smiled smugly and nodded.

As Mac dropped Veronica off at the Sheriff's office, she said she'd get in touch with them later to figure out if there were still some times Logan would need help with Abby. Logan was trying to clear off as much of his schedule as he could and thought he would have a better idea after work.

As she walked into the station, Leo was talking with one of the deputies, so she decided she'd wait for them to finish and then cover the camera information with him. She headed back to her own office and booted up her laptop. Stephanie's Facebook page was still up on her computer. _Only a high school student… that didn't stop Caitlin and Chardo from credit card fraud or Weevil from steeling most of the carnival funds, not to mention all the other illegal things kids at my school had gotten involved in. _She was clicking through some of the pictures in Stephanie's albums when one caught her eye.

"I'll be damned!" She grabbed her case file and flipped through to find the picture of Mrs. Bennett's amethyst necklace. Stephanie's picture on her laptop was similar to the one she'd seen in Grant's office of her in the gorgeous purple gown and Stacey in the blue one, but in the picture on her private Facebook page, Stephanie was wearing Mrs. Bennett's necklace with the giant amethyst stone. Stacey also had on a gorgeous sapphire necklace that she wasn't wearing in the other picture either. She looked at the date of the posted photo and frowned as she compared it to the dates in Mrs. Bennett's case file.

She printed off the photo and grabbed the photo from the case file and went to talk to Leo.

"So I have some interesting information for both the cases I'm working on," she announced as she walked in and closed the door behind her. "First, on the jewelry case, take a look at these." She laid the two pictures down on his desk. "This is Stephanie Whitman, Grant's daughter. She's wearing Mrs. Bennett's necklace in this photo from her Facebook page, but it wasn't in a similar copy of the picture in her dad's office. Neither was the sapphire one that her friend Stacey Davenport is wearing. The only problem is this picture was taken before the last time Mrs. Bennett remembered wearing it to an event."

Leo nodded thoughtfully at her as he studied the photos.

"But if she had a way to get it once, maybe she returned it and then stole it again later." Veronica continued, sort of just bouncing her thoughts off of him.

"She's just a high school student though right?" Leo finally asked.

Veronica rolled her eyes at him and gave him her best '_are you serious_' look.

He smiled back at her, "Okay, this is Neptune after all." She smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I think I'll talk to Mrs. Bennett first. Maybe she just lent it to her for the dance." Veronica suggested to him. Leo agreed that he thought that sounded like a good idea.

"And what have you found on the missing person case?" He asked as she picked up the two photos.

"Mac and I did some surveillance around the apartment complex and found several security cameras on private buildings that could have picked up some back ground shots of who was in the area that night."

Leo nodded his approval. "Let me see the list and I'll send some deputies out to talk with the owners and see if they'll cooperate and let us have access to the footage without warrants. It will speed things up if they are willing to do it without getting the warrants since I already have Roger working on the phone taps and search warrant for Gavin's place." Veronica handed him the list that she made with Mac, and told him to keep her posted before she headed back over to her office.

She sat down at her desk and looked up Mrs. Bennett's number in the case file. A young woman answered the phone and let Veronica know that Mrs. Bennett was out of town until the following day. Veronica left her name and number and asked if she could please call her as soon as she was back. She really hoped this might be the break in the case she was waiting for, although she knew there was a chance that Mrs. Bennett had let the girls borrow the necklaces for the dance.

Next she went on to the Hearst Newspaper site and searched their archives for photos of Alexis. She started with the most recent articles and found the two from the events that she went to with Logan. He of course was in the pictures too. She was wearing two different necklaces in those two photos so printed them out to take home and show Abigail. She searched back and found a couple other photos too with one other necklace. She couldn't help but notice in the pictures prior to her arrival, Logan was definitely more affectionate with Alexis in the way he had his arm around her and they leaned in together during the shots. She shook her head and reminded herself that it didn't matter now because that was before she came back.

She checked in with the deputies manning the tip line to see if they had anything new come in since the morning. She wasn't really surprised that nothing had, so she was really hoping they'd be able to get something off the security cameras that they'd spotted today. She finally decided to call it a day after that and headed to the grocery store to get the things she needed to make dinner.

Logan had left City Hall after his last meeting and wondered all the way to Alexis's house how seeing her there was going to go. She was certainly not happy with him when he'd tried to talk to her the morning before about Tommy and his concerns about her getting out of control with drugs again. Maybe if he apologized for that, they could have a more civil conversation about it. He'd checked in at her office before he left and her assistant Jayne had said she'd already left for the day so he was expecting her to be home when he got there.

He braced himself for another argument as he walked from his car up to her front steps. He was hoping though that since she'd been the one to suggest he drop by for the toys that she was in a better mood now. Of course knowing her, it could also be a ruse to get him to come by so they could have another fight about it. She was never one to back down from a fight, even if she knew she was wrong. Once she picked a side, she stayed committed to that until the bitter end. That was one of the reasons she'd been so successful in college and in her job.

He rang the door bell and waited for her to answer. After a couple of minutes with no answer he rang it one more time in case she was out by the pool in the back and didn't hear it the first time. He waited another two minutes and she still didn't answer. He let out a frustrated sigh. He actually did have a key to the house that she'd insisted he take at some point after she bought the house and they were still frequently hanging out together. He decided to just try the door knob first because she was horrible about actually locking the door when she came home. It was something they had fought about frequently because he had always been worried that someone might just come in to rob her or worse. Her house was located near a beach path that had a lot of traffic and while there was a fence around the back yard, there were still a lot of people that could easily try the front and find the door unlocked. At least the gate that led from her back yard to the beach could only be opened from the inside unless you knew the electronic key pad combination to open it from the outside. That had given him some comfort, as well as the fact that it automatically locked when it was closed given her inability to remember to lock things. She had a security alarm system too, but she always seemed to be pretty lax about actually turning it on. That was another thing they would occasionally argue about.

'_Of course the door isn't locked,' _he thought to himself as he turned the knob and opened the door. He shook his head angrily as he walked in and called her name. He didn't hear her moving around the house and she didn't answer either. He glanced into the living room and home office that was off the entry way. He saw her purse was sitting on her desk in the office along with her brief case, so he knew she had to be home. He also saw a box next to the desk that had '_Abby's Toys_' written on it in Alexis's familiar hand writing. _Maybe I should just take the box and go and not actually talk to her. Avoid the possibility of getting into another argument._ He momentarily glanced at some of the pictures she had on a shelf next to her desk. There was one of Alexis, Abby and himself. Abby was probably around two when it was taken. It was shortly after they'd gotten engaged and they'd gone to Catalina with Charlie, Cassie and Abby. He sighed and decided he should at least see if there was anything else she wanted to send along for Abby before he left. _Maybe she'll be more rational about things today._

He called her name again, but still didn't hear a response. He turned toward the kitchen and noticed the French doors that led out to the back patio from the kitchen were open. He decided as he walked toward the kitchen that she was probably out swimming and didn't hear the doorbell or him calling for her if she was doing laps with her head underwater. She used to frequently take a swim when she got home from work, and so he wasn't surprised that she'd be out doing that. Swimming and surfing always seemed to put her in a better mood, so hopefully they could have a more rational conversation about things than they did the day before.

He walked through the open doors looking over toward the pool and then froze for a second, unable to move. Alexis was laying on the ground next to the pool in a puddle of blood. His mind finally got control of his body again as he pulled out his cell phone dialing 911 as he ran over toward her. "I need an ambulance…" he said as the operator came on the line. _Oh god, please don't be dead Lexi. Not again… not like Lilly._


	14. Chapter 14 - Tempest

_**A/N – Sorry about the evil cliff-hanger last week! It just seemed like a good spot to stop that chapter and to give everyone something to wonder about. I loved some of the ideas people posted about what might be going on. I'm not really sure yet how long this story will be, but my last one in this series was 35 chapters, so I'm thinking this one may go at least 25 based on where we are and what they have to figure out. Although I never really expected that one to be so long when I started either. Of course now there's an entire new mystery that needs to be solved. This was what I had planned from the beginning, and had to put in quite a few things to get us here. I hope you all continue to enjoy it as it all unfolds.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 14 - Tempest

As Logan got closer he could see a huge gash on Alexis's forehead where the blood had been flowing from. He immediately pressed his hand to the wound with the hope that she was still alive since the blood was bright red and still flowing down to the concrete.

He was amazed he was able to give the 911 operator an address because at that point he felt like he was in total shock. He used his free hand to wipe her hair away from her face. _Please don't die. I can't bear to lose another person I care about._ He felt tears falling down his cheeks. He couldn't focus enough to check for her pulse. Part of him didn't want the confirmation that he may have been too late. He finally noticed something lying on the ground that he hadn't seen when he first ran over to her. It was a sculpture that he'd gotten her for her birthday when they were still happily engaged. It was a wave carved into a special rock they'd found in Australia. He noticed the edge of it was covered in blood. His stomach churned and he turned his attention back to her, away from what appeared to be what someone had hit her with. _Murder weapon? Please let her be alive._

He had moved his free hand down to gently grasp her shoulder. "Lexi?" His voice cracked with emotion. "Can you hear me? Please wake up." He moved his hand back up to cup her cheek. "Help is coming." He tried pushing her hair away again so he could see her face better.

At first he didn't register that the paramedics had arrived. He must have told the operator that they were in the back and that the door was unlocked, though he didn't remember it at the moment. One of the paramedics was checking her pulse while the other was trying to move Logan out of the way to be able to help her too.

"I've got a very faint pulse," the younger one checking had said. The other man, quite a bit older than Logan, was taking something out of the bag he'd been carrying to bandage up her head.

The younger man stood up and ran back into the house. Logan was still kneeling on the ground, though out of the way now, watching helplessly. "Did you do this?" the paramedic asked Logan cautiously, keeping his tone very calm and non-threatening. Logan shook his head and looked at the man with wide worried eyes. The paramedic looked more closely at Logan. "Are you hurt too, or is that just from her?" Logan looked down and saw all the blood on himself.

"Her," he was able to whisper.

The man nodded slowly. "Do you know what happened?" Logan shook his head again.

The other man had returned with a gurney and Logan stood up finally as they began to move her onto it. "You're the one who called 911?" The older man asked next. Logan nodded, not quite able to find his full voice yet. "Are you her husband?" Again Logan shook his head and stood silently.

The younger man was talking into his radio, but Logan couldn't focus enough to know what he was saying. They started to move her toward the house to take her to the ambulance.

"We've radioed in for someone from the sheriff's department to come and talk to you." The younger paramedic explained as they moved through the house.

Logan finally found the strength to speak again, "No… no… I want to go with her… to the hospital." His voice came out hoarse and raspy. He hadn't felt quite this scared and helpless since he found Veronica lying in the parking garage at Hearst after she was attacked.

They'd reached the ambulance and were carefully loading her into it. "Sorry sir," the younger man continued, "only spouses or direct family members are allowed to ride along..." He started to move Logan out of the way so he could close the doors.

Logan cut him off before he finished. His worry and fear finally exploding into a rage of desperation at that point. "What? ...Are you serious? ...I'm the… I'm the fucking Mayor and if I want to ride in the fucking ambulance, I will." He felt his heart rate exploding as he stood there wanting to shove the young paramedic out of the way.

The older man intervened. "It's fine Mike, Mr. Echolls can ride with us. I've got her secured if you want to close up the doors and go." He gestured for a spot for Logan to take a seat. "Radio and let them know we're on our way and that Mr. Echolls is riding with us."

Back at their house, Veronica was finishing up the meatballs and getting ready to mix up some garlic butter for the bread. She had a pot of sauce simmering on the stove and the smell had caused Abigail to run in several times asking if it was ready yet. She was waiting to cook the noodles as soon as Logan got home. She was surprised that he wasn't home yet and wondered if he'd gotten into a lengthy discussion with Alexis.

She was a little surprised when her phone rang and she saw his name on the display. "Hey, I hope you'll be home soon. Your woman folk are starving."

There wasn't an immediate reply and she wondered for a moment if they had a bad connection until she heard a doctor being paged in the background.

"Logan are you okay? Are you at the hospital?" She tried to keep the anxiety out of her tone, but it would have helped if he'd say something.

"It's Lexi," he finally said in a shaky voice. She immediately knew it was bad when he called her Lexi, as well as the tone of his voice.

"What happened Logan?" She asked softly.

"She's..." he paused and she could hear his voice break. "Can you come down here and bring me some clean clothes?"

"Of course. Are you at the ER?" she asked, trying to remain calm so she didn't add to the obvious anxiety he was already experiencing.

"Yeah... Thank you..."

"I love you Logan," she said softly.

"Love you too." He said softly back then hung up the phone.

Heather and Abigail were in playing video games while they were waiting for dinner, so Veronica poked her head in and asked Heather if she could come upstairs with her for a minute. She really didn't want to worry Abigail until she knew what was going on. She quickly filled Heather in on the cryptic phone call with Logan and said she'd call her as soon as she knew what was going on. She gave her quick instructions on what still needed to be done for dinner so her and Abigail could eat without them.

She spotted Logan as soon as she walked into the emergency room waiting area. He had his head buried in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees, sitting hunched forward in the seat. She immediately understood why he'd asked for clean clothes when she saw him. On the drive over she had assumed Alexis was in the hospital due to a drug overdose given what happened over the weekend. She was not expecting to find Logan covered in blood. She quickly walked over to him and knelt down in front of him.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she carefully put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up and gave her an uncertain look. "Are you hurt?" She asked looking him over.

"No," he said as he shook his head. She gently placed her hand on his cheek and stroked it lightly with her thumb. The expression on his face was so heart breaking. "What happened?" she asked softly.

"I don't… I don't now," he answered in a broken voice as he shook his head slowly.

She gave him a compassionate look and nodded slowly. "Just tell me what you do know."

"I found her… out on the ground... next to her pool. Someone had… someone had hit her in the head and left her there."

Veronica felt bile in her throat as she flashed back to Lilly's crime scene. She immediately understood why he was so devastated. "Is she…."

Logan took a deep breath and then answered what he knew she was wondering. "She's still alive… or was when we arrived..." He shuddered slightly then continued. "They are running tests on her. They said… They said she lost a lot of blood… and they don't… they don't know if she's going to regain consciousness or not."

"I'm so sorry Logan." Veronica said softly. Even if she wasn't Alexis's biggest fan, she would never have wanted something like this to happen, and then Logan finding her only made it that much worse. "Why don't you go and change clothes. I can wait here if a doctor comes back out with an update."

Logan nodded and stood up. He'd already washed his hands off when he got to the ER, but he still had her blood all over his clothes. He carefully reached for her head and pulled her a little closer so he could kiss her forehead. "Thank you," he whispered against her skin. She nodded and watched as he turned to head into the bathroom to change after he took the bag of clean clothes from her hand.

Her mind was racing, trying to think of all the possible scenarios that could have happened. As she was standing there waiting for Logan to come back out, Leo and a deputy walked into the ER. Leo spotted her and gave her a concerned look and walked over to her. "Where's Logan?" He asked in a calm voice with a very somber expression on his face.

She gestured with her head toward the bathroom. "He's in changing clothes." Leo nodded in reply.

A minute later Logan came back out. Leo studied him carefully before he spoke. "Hey Logan, I'm so sorry about all of this." He paused a moment then continued with almost a suspicious look on his face. "Where are your other clothes?"

"What?" Logan looked confused for a minute. "Oh, they were ruined, so I just threw them away." He sighed and walked back over to the chair he'd been sitting in.

Leo nodded to the other deputy who headed toward the bathroom. Veronica's expression became instantly concerned. "Leo…" she said in an anxious tone.

"It's just standard procedure Veronica. You know that." Leo said in a calm voice.

Veronica shook her head getting more furious by the second. "You know he didn't have anything to do with this." She said in a low angry tone to Leo. She didn't want other people in the ER or Logan to hear her though.

"I know that Veronica, but we still have to follow proper procedures. You of all people should be able to understand that." He explained, but Veronica just scoffed at him.

"I'm just trying to find out what happened to her, so we can be sure she's safe." He replied with a serious expression.

Veronica took a deep breath. She knew getting in an argument with Leo wasn't going to be productive. "Have you been to the house?"

Leo shook his head. "Norris responded to the call. He's still over there now, but called me and gave me an overview. I was hoping to get a statement from Logan, but I can see he's not handling this very well."

Veronica glanced over at Logan, who was back to sitting in about the same position as when she arrived. She turned back to Leo, "Can you blame him? This is just like Lilly all over again." She shook her head and took a deep breath, feeling a wave of nausea trying to overtake her again as her stomach clenched.

"No, I can't even imagine having to relive this again." He gave her a sympathetic look, and rested his hand on her shoulder giving it a light squeeze.

Leo walked over toward Logan and took a seat in the chair next to him and put his arm across his shoulders. "I really am sorry about this Logan." Logan nodded and took a deep breath and sat up a bit straighter in his chair as Leo dropped his arm. Veronica walked over and sat in the chair on the other side of Logan and reached over and took one of his hands in both of hers. He gave her a quick grateful smile then turned back to Leo.

"I'm going to need to get a statement from you about what happened," Leo said in an almost regrettable tone.

Logan shook his head and shrugged. "I just stopped by to pick up some things… and… and found her like that out by the pool."

Leo nodded. He'd already heard the report from the paramedics on what they found when they arrived and what her condition was then as well.

"How did you get into the house?" Leo asked next.

"The door was unlocked," Logan shook his head. "She never remembers to lock it when she comes home from work."

"And you didn't hear or see anyone else?" Leo asked as Veronica carefully studied Logan's reactions.

Logan shook his head again. "No nothing. The house was empty and completely quiet when I walked in." He let out a sad sigh, "I almost just took the box and left… but thought I'd… thought I'd see if she was out swimming… and then..." He shook his head and didn't continue.

Leo understood and nodded, "It's lucky for her that you did."

Logan squeezed Veronica's hand a little tighter and nodded.

"Do you know of anyone who's threatened her lately who would have done something like this?" Leo asked next.

Veronica grimaced. How many people had Alexis made angry enough to want to bash her in the head? She immediately thought back to the fight at Growlers Saturday night. _Surely that wouldn't be enough to lead to an attack like that would it?_

Logan shook his head. "I can't think of anyone who hated her enough to go to that extreme."

'_Crimes of passion aren't always about hate._' Veronica thought to herself.

Leo nodded. "If you think of anything else, please be sure to let me know." He patted him on the shoulder again and gave a quick look at Veronica before he stood up. "I'm going to go talk with the hospital staff and get an update of how things are going. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Veronica removed one of her hands from holding his, and reached across his shoulders with her free arm. He sighed and tipped his head so it was resting more on her shoulder, closing his eyes and squeezing her hand a little tighter. "Thank you for being here." He whispered quietly to her.

"Of course, where else would I be." She kissed his temple and moved her hand to massage the base of his neck a little bit. "Is there anything else I can do?"

He shook his head. "The doctor said they may keep her sedated to determine how much damage was done from the… from the blow. I called her parents right before I called you and I'm waiting for them to get here. The doctor said at this point all we can do is wait." He sucked in a shaky breath. "He really wasn't sure if she would come out of it… even once they take her off the medication… but they would… they would do as many tests as they could."

She kissed his temple again. "I really am sorry Logan." He nodded and looked at her sadly.

"I don't understand why someone would do this to her. Maybe it was an attempted robbery that just went wrong…" Logan trailed off thinking back to finding her at the house.

"Maybe," Veronica replied. "Do you know if it looked like anything was taken?"

Logan shook his head. "No the house seemed normal when I walked in. Her purse and briefcase were in her office." He paused for a moment. "The sculpture they hit her with… It would have been in the house, not out by the pool. Maybe they… maybe they grabbed it and chased her outside..."

Veronica nodded. "I'm sure Leo will figure out what happened. He said Norris is there looking things over." She hesitated for a moment. "Do you want me to go and take a look too, or stay here with you?" He squeezed her hand a little more tightly. "I can stay," she replied as she nodded.

He took a deep breath and leaned closer to kiss her forehead. "Maybe you should go and take a look though. You're the best investigator I know. If there are any clues there, I know you'd be able to find them."

She gave him a small half smile, "While I appreciate the vote of confidence, Leo's team is just as good. I think you need me more here."

He gave her a sorrowful look. "My uh…. my car is still there…" he took a deep breath. "I really don't want to go back there tonight and get it… maybe you could ride over with Leo and bring it back to the hospital for me?"

She gave him a little smile and nodded as she moved her hand to gently stroke his hair. "Of course."

Their moment was quickly interrupted by a frantic looking David coming up to them. "What the hell are you doing here?" Logan barked out as he saw him.

"I… I was supposed to have dinner with Lexi…" he stammered out. "And when I got there the… the sheriff deputies said she'd been taken to the ER."

Veronica watched as Logan clenched his jaw and stared angrily at David. She put her hand on his arm. She was worried about how quickly this situation could escalate. "Why don't I fill him in on what happened okay?" She said calmly. Logan nodded, but still looked angry. Veronica stood up and took David's arm and walked him to the other side of the waiting room and sat down with him there. She filled him in on everything she knew so far. He ran one of his hands through his hair with a horrified expression on his face when she finished.

She was about to stand back up and go to sit with Logan again, when she noticed his dress shoes had sand on them. _That's peculiar since he's still in slacks and a shirt and tie._ "Were you out walking on the beach?" Veronica asked curiously.

"What?" he asked in confusion. She gestured down to his feet. "Oh, I um… no… I don't know where the sand came from. Maybe there was some near my car at Lexi's since I parked out on the street with the patrol cars there."

Veronica nodded and went back over to sit with Logan until Leo came back out. Leo came back a few minutes later and let them know that the doctors were still monitoring her and that there hadn't been any changes. For the time being she was basically in a medically induced coma while they assessed the injury to her head and the swelling around her brain that she was experiencing.

Veronica momentarily cringed to herself with a memory back to another boyfriend's ex-girlfriend in a coma. She asked Leo if he was headed over to her house so she could retrieve Logan's car. She gave Logan a quick kiss and promised to be back as soon as possible, before standing up and leaving with Leo.

Leo was unusually quiet on the way there. Veronica finally let out a frustrated breath. "Just say whatever you're thinking," she finally blurted out.

"We really need to figure out who did this." _Isn't that what the Sheriff's department does?_ "You and I both know how it's going to look. He was the only one there, covered in her blood. We both know he'd never do it, which is why we need to find out who actually did. Norris said it doesn't look like a robbery attempt. He said it looks to him like someone intentionally attacked her."

Veronica sighed. Yes she did know how it looked, but he was just the one to find her. No one would ever accuse him of actually doing it. _Who are you kidding Veronica, this is Neptune after all._

"There was an incident Saturday night at Growlers between Alexis and Kennedy O'Reilly. I wouldn't think it would have escalated to something like this, but it's certainly someone we should check into." Veronica explained as they continued to drive. Leo nodded in understanding. "I also thought it was peculiar that David had sand on his shoes when he arrived at the Hospital… I'm sure it's nothing… but it was odd."

When they got to the house, Veronica said she wanted to take a quick look around before she headed back to the hospital. She sort of felt like that was what Logan had wanted her to do anyway, but used the car as an excuse so she wouldn't feel bad leaving him there alone at the hospital. Although she absolutely did believe he had no desire to come back here so soon either. She took a quick look at the door on the way in, and of course there was no indication of a break in there. The house seemed very orderly and nothing really appeared to be out of place. She stepped into the office quickly and saw the box with Abby's name on it. She sighed, knowing that was the only reason Logan had been there. Of course with it being basically a crime scene at the moment, she couldn't just take the box either. She also noticed the pictures that were in the office. Many of them were of Alexis and Vanessa, and some with an older couple that she guessed were their parents. There were several of them also with a young man that she guessed must have been Jackson. He looked a lot like his dad. She was a bit surprised that there were also several with Alexis and Logan. She saw the one with them and Abby, but also saw a few others at different places they'd been too. A few of them were her entire family with Logan as well. Her heart sank a little looking at how happy they had all looked in the photos. _Like he really was a part of their family._ There was even one with Alexis, Logan, Cassandra and Charlie all sitting in front of a Christmas Tree. Logan and Charlie were sitting next to each other with the two women sitting on their laps with their arms around the waists of the women. Charlie's smile looked so similar to Logan's in the picture and all four of them seemed so happy and in love. She took a deep breath and turned to take a quick look around the office for anything that seemed out of place. _Anything to get my mind to focus back on the case and not on the pictures._

She left the office and headed out towards the back of the house where more of the deputies were out looking and saw the crime scene photographer at work. It was dark out now, but there were large bright lights illuminating her entire back yard. She felt her stomach churn again as she saw the puddle of blood next to the swimming pool. It was just too much like what happened with Lilly. _Did someone intentionally do it this way because of that? To send a message to her or Logan? _She quickly shook her head and convinced herself that it was just coincidental. She went over to where the wave sculpture was still laying on the ground. They had tried not to disturb anything until Leo arrived so he could see the scene too. She noticed it had a small plate on it with an engraving. _'Life's storms bring the best waves. Thanks for being my tempest. Love always, Logan' _Veronica swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

It was obvious the sculpture had been used to hit her given it had blood on it. Veronica tried not to look too closely. There was probably skin and hair on it too, but she really didn't need to see that much detail. She'd let the lab guys deal with that. She took a quick look around the yard. There were two large palm trees in the far corner of the yard with a hammock stretched between them. She immediately flashed back to the photo at the art exhibit at Hearst with Alexis and Logan's feet in a hammock by a beach. She shook her head and started looking around again. There was also a gate that led out toward the beach. The fence around the yard was probably 6 foot high, not impossible for a person to climb over, but if she always left her door unlocked, there wouldn't be much need for that. But if someone had been here possibly at the same time that Logan had arrived at the front door, they could have left through the gate, so she went over for a closer look. She'd grabbed a pair of gloves so she could touch things and tried the handle. It easily opened. She realized it only locked from the outside where there was a key pad to unlock it. She looked around outside of the gate for any clues using the light on her phone, but didn't see any. It pretty much opened right up to the beach. It was dark now, but she imagined at the time it would have happened, earlier in the day, there could have been a lot of people around. She wasn't sure how close to sunset it had happened though and it could have been starting to get dark, which would have made it even easier for someone to disappear that way and not be spotted at all.

Veronica took another quick look around but decided she'd better get back to the hospital and Logan. She knew the deputies would be thorough in their search for clues. There was still a potential that it was a robbery attempt and she'd run outside to escape and the person followed her and hit her, then heard Logan at the door and bolted out to the beach before they were able to steal anything. If that was the case, then Alexis might not be in danger anymore. If it was intentional and someone really did mean to kill her though, then whoever that might be may try to get to her at the hospital to silence her.

"What are your thoughts?" she asked Leo as she walked back over to him. He shook his head and sighed. He must have been thinking almost exactly the same thing that she was.

"I think I'll call the hospital and have a security guard put on her room until we get farther along with the case just to be safe." He told her. She nodded and said she'd talk with him soon and headed back out front to drive Logan's car back to the hospital. She also took the opportunity of being alone in the car to make some calls, starting with Heather.

"Oh my…" Heather started to blurt out then must have stopped herself because of Abigail after Veronica gave her an update.

"Any chance you can stay the night there since I don't know how late we'll be?" Veronica asked hopefully.

"Sure, of course." Heather paused, "What should I tell you know who?"

"Who?" she heard Abigail ask in the background.

"Just let her know there was an emergency that Logan and I had to take care of. I want to talk with Logan before we tell her anything. You can say it was related to one of my cases with the Sheriff's department if she asks too many questions." _Not a total lie probably now._

Veronica also placed calls to her dad and Mac on her drive back. She didn't want them to hear what was going on from someone else. They of course both told her to let them know if there was anything at all that they could do. Mac said she could help with Abigail if they needed it. She'd reschedule any appointments given the situation. She debated about whether to call Casey. She finally decided she'd better so he didn't find it out some other way. She imagined Leo would be making a press statement probably later in the evening or at the latest by early the next morning. She found his name on her contact list and placed the call.

"Hi Veronica," he said in a friendly voice. "What's up?"

"Hey Casey…. Um… where are you?"

"I'm actually up in San Francisco…" She let out a small sigh. She was glad that at least she didn't have to worry about him as a potential suspect too. "I had to come up this morning to meet with a client this afternoon and I'm flying back later tonight."

"Um… there's been an incident… with Alexis…"

He must have sensed it was bad by her tone, "Oh no, what happened?" he asked in a worried voice.

"Someone attacked her at her house… they hit her in the head… Logan just happened to be stopping by and found her… she's at the hospital and they are doing tests… they're not sure yet… about her prognosis…"

The line went completely silent when she stopped speaking. "Casey? Are you okay?"

"Yeah… um… thanks for letting me know… I'll… I'll check in on things…"

"Okay, I'm so sorry Casey." She said softly.

"Yeah… me too." They quickly said good bye and she ended the call.

When she made it back to the hospital, she found Logan still in the same spot, but he was sitting next to the couple that she recognized from the picture at Alexis's house as her parents. Her mom was sitting next to Logan with her dad on the other side. He had one arm around her and her head was turned into his side. His other hand was gripping on to her hands that she had rested in her lap. They both looked completely devastated. David had also moved over and was sitting in the seat next to her dad. Veronica quietly made her way to the empty chair next to Logan, not really wanting to have their attention directed to her because she didn't want to seem like an intrusion. They all seemed to be either staring back toward the ER area, or down at the ground and not in her direction at all luckily. When she sat down though, Logan turned to see her and let out a deep breath. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her a little closer giving her a tender kiss on the forehead.

Alexis's parents unfortunately noticed the movement and both turned to look at her. She gave them a sympathetic smile and then bit a little nervously on her lower lip.

"Oh," Logan said, realizing they hadn't met Veronica before. "This is my girlfriend Veronica Mars. Veronica this is Maggie and Victor Calloway."

They gave her a small nod, but both looked too worried to actually say anything. Veronica tried to sink back behind Logan again. "Any word from the doctors?" she whispered to him.

He shook his head. "Not really. They did say they were going to move her out of the ER onto the ICU floor soon and then her parents can go in and see her when they get her all settled there. They aren't sure how long they'll need to keep her medicated. The swelling isn't too bad so they are hoping it won't be too long."

She nodded and reached over and squeezed his hand. Soon the doctor came back out and they all stood up to get an update. He gave them directions on where to go to check in and find out what room she was going to be moved to. He didn't have any news on her prognosis yet though. They quietly made their way to the new floor, standing in an awkward silence waiting for the elevator. Once they made it to the ICU floor, her parents went to check in with a receptionist while David went and took a seat in the waiting area and Logan and Veronica stood off to the side.

"Did anyone call Vanessa yet?" Veronica asked quietly.

Logan shook his head. "I don't think any of us want to stress her out with the baby. Eventually someone needs to let her know though." Veronica nodded grimly.

Victor and Maggie walked back over to them. Maggie had seemed like she was trying her best to hold herself together in the ER, but that resolve seemed to be crumbling now. She turned toward Victor sobbing. "I don't understand why someone would do this to our baby," she sobbed as she buried her head into his chest. It looked like Victor was trying to be strong for her too, but Veronica noticed several tears streaming down his cheeks too as he was trying to comfort her. Logan reached out and gently rubbed his hand up and down Maggie's back too. Victor gave him a grateful look as he tried to steer Maggie to a chair again. "They said it would be about 15 minutes before we can go in and see her," he said quietly to Logan as he walked off with Maggie. Logan nodded and let out a shaky breath as he looked at Veronica.

She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Regardless of what her differences with Alexis were, she had been a major part of his life over the last 6 years and her parents were in a way sort of Logan's family too. He took a deep breath and tipped his head so his cheek rested on top of her head. "Did you find anything at her house?" He asked in a quiet voice.

She smiled a little to herself. She knew he'd sent her there to do some sleuthing. She shook her head. "Unfortunately no, but I didn't stay long either. I'm sure Leo will let us know if they find anything. He did say he'll put a security guard on her here at the hospital though in case who ever did it comes back to harm her again."

She felt him take a deep shuddering breath. "I can't believe someone intentionally tried to kill her. Is that what Leo thinks?"

She shrugged slightly, "I think it's too early to tell. Maybe it was just a burglar trying to get away and only meant to knock her out. Leo just wants to take every precaution. He was sending deputies around her neighborhood to see if anyone saw something. I'm sure he'll probably do a press release soon too and maybe someone saw something that will help. If the beach behind her house is pretty popular, maybe someone saw the person coming out the gate if that's the way they went."

Logan lifted his head off of hers. He took her hand and walked back over to sit next to Maggie again. David was in his spot next to Victor again. It almost seemed like they all understood the two of them needed a physical barrier due to their past issues.

Logan swallowed a lump in his throat and reached over and squeezed Maggie's hand after he sat down. "She's one of the most tenacious people I know Maggie. She's a fighter. If anyone can get through this, it's her." He said quietly to her. Maggie looked at him through her tear filled eyes and just nodded.

About 20 minutes later a nurse came out and said her parents could go in and see her for a little while. They were trying to limit how many people they allowed in to see her currently, but if the others wanted to come back the next day during visiting hours, they'd allow others besides immediate family if the family permitted it. Logan said he'd wait for Maggie and Victor to come back out before he left. David said he was going to go and get a hotel room for the night and that he'd see them again in the morning. He gave Maggie a quick hug and shook Victor's hand before turning and heading to the elevators without a word to Logan.

Logan and Veronica sat silently for a while in the waiting room before Logan finally spoke again. "I was thinking I should ask Maggie and Victor if they want to come and stay out our place. What do you think?"

Veronica gave him an understanding smile and nodded. "I did ask Heather if she could stay until we get back. I wasn't sure how late it would be. But I'm sure we can work out something with the rooms we do have."

A worried look crossed his face. "Oh no, Abby," he said, just now remembering again that she was staying with them too. He'd completely forgotten about it from the shock of everything happening, even though she was the only reason he'd been at Alexis's house.

Veronica gently stroked his cheek. "Heather was going to tell her we had emergency on one of my cases. She wasn't going to say anything about Alexis until you were ready to."

Logan nodded and took a deep breath. They sat in silence again until Maggie and Victor came back out. Maggie was back to sobbing into Victor's chest, and Victor looked much worse than he had when he went in. Logan stood and walked over rubbing Maggie's back again. "Any changes?" He quietly asked Victor. Victor shook his head.

"If you need a place to stay tonight, you're welcome to come over to our house." Logan said softly.

Victor gave him a quick grateful smile, "I think we'll probably stay here until they kick us out and then get a room at the Grand since it's closer than your house. But thank you Logan." Logan nodded in understanding. Victor leaned toward Logan a bit more, "Do you want to go in and see her? I think I can get the nurse on duty to let you go in with us for a few minutes if you'd like. She said we could go in and check on her again in a little while. They were just doing some vital checks and other stuff and needed to get us out of the room for a while." Logan sighed and nodded, bringing a small smile to Victor's lips.

They went back over to where they'd all been sitting before. Veronica couldn't hear what had been said by them across the room, so Logan filled her in briefly. She reached over and took his hand again, giving it a firm squeeze. "Do you think you could eat something? I could go down to the cafeteria and get you something." Veronica asked, realizing that neither of them had eaten dinner yet and it was now getting close to 8pm. He shook his head but gave her a thankful smile. She nodded back knowingly. The stress and anxiety had curbed her appetite as well and she wasn't even the one who had found her.

After another 15 minutes of sitting in silence, Logan suggested that maybe she could go home so Heather could go home too. She gave him a worried look. "I'd rather stay here with you. I can drive you home and we can come back for the BMW tomorrow. I talked with Heather when I went to get your car and she said she was happy to just stay the night given what was going on. Her classes tomorrow aren't until mid-morning." He gave her a grateful smile and nodded.

A nurse came out a few minutes later, and said they could go back to see her again. Logan went with Maggie and Victor this time, leaving Veronica in the waiting room. He was back out about 20 minutes later and the nurses said they would need to be leaving since visiting hours were about over.

Veronica still had Logan's keys and led him silently to the car. She didn't need to ask how he was doing to know he wasn't doing well. She was sure this was a little too similar to what had happened with Lilly for him to be handing it well. She was having a hard enough time with the memories, and she didn't have the relationship with Alexis that Logan did.

Heather was watching TV when they arrived home, while Abigail was already asleep in her room. She came out of the game room and gave Logan a hug as they walked toward the stairs. He mumbled a quick thanks, and then headed up to their bedroom. Veronica stayed behind to fill Heather in on what had happened since they last talked, before following Logan up to bed. Heather decided since it was sort of late, she would stay and go back to her dorm in the morning.

Logan had already climbed into bed, leaning back against the pillows with an arm crossed over his head when Veronica walked into their bedroom. She quickly changed and climbed in to bed next to him. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "I love you so much," he whispered into her hair as he kissed her head.

"You know I love you just as much, right?" She said back as she squeezed him tightly too.

She heard a soft 'yeah' as he pulled her up a little higher so he could kiss her on the lips. She gave him a sad smile as their foreheads rested together, 'It's going to be okay," she said in the most convincing voice she could muster.

"I hope you're right," he said quietly before kissing her deeply again. She scooted back down so they could try to fall asleep. She really hoped what happened today didn't set off a whole new set of nightmares for him, but she wasn't optimistic about that. She gently ran her hand over his chest as they laid there in silence. She was relieved when she finally did feel him doze off to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15 - Comfort

_**A/N – I originally wrote this part with a 3am instead of 2am in the first paragraph. I've always hated 3am after reading the heartbreaking LoVe Story '3 AM' by Trixx (FF) /**____**Synful_Trixx (AO3). I don't think I've cried so much over a 7000 word story before. It was so wonderfully sad. It seems nothing good ever happens at 3am, so I changed mine to say 2am instead. If anyone who hasn't read 3 AM wants a gut wrenching LoVe story, I highly recommend it, but be sure to grab lots of tissues! I went to find it again and was in tears just reading part of the ending again to be sure it was the right story. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. I really do appreciate all the comments/reviews that people take the time to leave. I'd love to hear everyone's theories too on who attacked Alexis.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 15 - Comfort

Veronica woke up and realized Logan wasn't in bed. She rolled over and looked at the clock and saw that it was only 2am, so she climbed out of bed to go search for him. She quietly headed downstairs and found him sitting on the couch with a glass on the table in front of him and a bottle sitting next to it. She stood at the base of the stairs and quietly watched him for a moment. She hadn't actually seen him drink anything stronger than a beer since she'd been back. It hurt her heart to think of how much pain he must have been in to get the scotch or whatever was in the bottle out tonight. She walked over and knelt down on her knees in front of him, resting her forearms on the top of his legs as she gazed lovingly up at him. He looked sadly down at her for a few seconds, and then leaned down so he could kiss her. She expected to taste some sort of alcohol on his lips given the glass and bottle, but didn't. She put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him deeply back. After the kiss he kept leaning in to her with their foreheads touching. His breath was a bit ragged and he closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath.

"Nightmares?" She asked quietly. He nodded and sighed. He reached down and pulled her up into his lap as he sat up straighter again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he burrowed his head into the crook of her shoulder. She gently ran her fingers through his hair. "It's not your fault you know?" She could feel him nod slowly against her. "You may have even saved her life by finding her when you did."

He sighed again and lifted his head up so he could look at her. "But what if she never wakes up? I just wish… I wish I'd found her as soon as I got there. I stopped in her office first and debated about whether to just take the box and go. If I had looked for her as soon as I got there, it would have been better."

Veronica looked lovingly at him and shook her head. "You can't feel guilty about that Logan. What's important is that you did get to her when you did and got the paramedics there quickly."

He nodded, but didn't look terribly convinced. He rested his head against her shoulder again and she kept massaging her fingers through his hair. She finally felt him exhale a deep breath and could feel that he was starting to relax a bit. "Come back to bed," she whispered against his ear. "I could help you relax more than a glass of scotch." He sat back up and opened his eyes to look at her again. He leaned in and kissed her then nodded. She climbed off his lap and picked up the bottle and the glass and took them into the kitchen, standing on her tip toes to put the bottle on top of the fridge where Abigail wouldn't be able to grab it. He stood at the edge of the room waiting for her. She reached out her hand and took his, and then led him back up to bed.

She had him lay back down and then she crawled in next to him, placing soft kisses on his lips and running her hands through his hair again. She gently massaged his scalp and down along his neck too. He exhaled and ran his hands up and down her body slowly. "We can just kiss and cuddle, or whatever you want to do," she whispered in his ear as she nuzzled her face against his cheek. She really did want to provide him with as much comfort and support as he needed. He let out a deep sigh, then brought his mouth over to hers, kissing her deeply before he pulled her on top of him. His hands continued to caress up and down her body while they kissed. She could sense he was thinking about more than just kissing and cuddling. Soon he had pulled her shirt up over her head to rest her body against his already naked chest. He finally rolled them over so he could rest over her and started kissing down her body starting at her neck. "I love you so much," he whispered against her skin as he placed kisses all over her body. She told him she loved him too and when he came back up to kiss her mouth, she ran her hands up and down his back in soothing patterns. Sometimes when they were together it was fast and passionate, while other times like now were slow and loving. She hoped he really did believe how much she loved him and also that what happened wasn't his fault. When they were finished, he pulled her close to him and pulled the covers up over them. After a few minutes of lying there peacefully together, she reminded him that they did have a couple of guests in the house, and so unfortunately they should probably put some clothes back on. He sighed but reluctantly agreed and released her so they could get dressed again. She curled back up against his chest and held him tightly as soon as they were back in bed. She hoped he'd at least get a few hours of sleep since she had no idea how long he'd been down on the couch alone.

When she woke up again it was 6am and they were still wrapped in each others arms. She tried not to move because she didn't want to wake him up if he was asleep. She laid there quietly for a few minutes, and then felt his fingers slowly stroking her shoulder. She lifted her head up and looked at him. He gave her a small smile and pulled her up closer so he could kiss her. "Did you get some sleep?" She asked as their lips parted.

He nodded, "Yeah a little."

She traced his face with her fingers, running them gently over his forehead, her thumb stroking across his eyebrows. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm here for you if you need anything at all."

"I know," he said in a quiet voice and tipped his head up so he could kiss her again. "It was just so horrifying you know. When I found her… of course the first thing that flashed through my mind was Lilly." Veronica nodded and kept stroking her fingers gently over his face, moving them down from his forehead to his cheeks. He took a deep breath and then looked at her sadly, "Why do things like this keep happening to us?"

"I don't know." She replied as she shook her head. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

There was a soft knocking on their door. "Come in," Veronica said loud enough for whoever was knocking to hear. Abigail poked her head through the door and smiled.

"I'm so glad you're back," she said as she ran over toward the bed.

"Hey kiddo," Logan said with a small smile. Veronica had scooted off of him so she was resting more on his side. Logan reached out his other arm so Abigail could climb up and give him a hug. "Sorry we were out so late last night. Did you have fun with Heather?"

Abigail nodded. "Is everything okay?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

Logan sighed and looked sadly over at Veronica. "Aunt Lexi had an accident and she had to go to the hospital and we were there with her."

"Is she going to be okay?" Abigail asked with wide worried eyes.

"I sure hope so Abby. The doctors are all taking really good care of her." He said in a somber voice.

"Can I go and visit her there?"

Logan shook his head, "Not today. Maybe in a few days if she's feeling better though, okay?"

Abigail nodded and gave him a small smile. "Do you have to go to work today?"

Logan shook his head again, "No I was able to get the rest of the week off from work to spend with you, but I'll need to go and check on Aunt Lexi too. Maybe you can go and visit Mac and Dick for a little while today."

Abigail smiled and nodded. "Okay."

He asked her if she wanted to watch cartoons for a little while before they went down for breakfast. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV as Abigail climbed under the covers too and got comfortable on the pillows. Veronica sat with them too, mostly just leaning up against Logan with her eyes closed. He'd wrapped his arm around her and was holding her hand, and she gently traced soothing circles on it with her free hand. She finally heard her cell phone go off around 7am, and leaned over to see who had sent her a text that early. It was Leo saying he needed talk with her and Logan as soon as possible. She made a worried face, which Logan noticed and raised his eyebrows at her. She held the message up so he could see it and he frowned as he read it.

She sent a text back asking if he could just stop by the house since they had Abigail with them and Heather would be leaving right after breakfast for class. She went and took a quick shower, followed by Logan while Abigail stayed snuggled up in their bed watching cartoons. Once they were ready, they went down to the kitchen to wait for Leo and make breakfast. Logan busied himself making eggs and bacon while Abigail helped make toast. Heather had woken up too and she helped Veronica get the table all ready. They'd just sat down to eat when Leo arrived.

Logan gestured to the office and the three of them went in to talk, leaving Heather and Abigail out finishing their breakfast. Logan closed the door behind them so the girls wouldn't overhear whatever Leo needed to talk to them about.

"So," Leo started as soon as the door was closed. "We put out a quick news release last night to ask for any information in Alexis's case." Veronica and Logan looked at him anxiously and nodded. They could tell there was something wrong as soon as he'd arrived. Leo turned to Logan and gave him a concerned look before he spoke again. "Did you have a fight with Alexis Monday morning in the parking lot at City Hall?"

Logan looked shocked, "Wait, what?" He shook his head. "We were talking and I guess she was a bit mad, but I wouldn't call it a fight." He paused for a moment before he spoke again. "How did you even know that?" he asked in disbelief.

Veronica cringed a bit. With everything else going on, she'd forgotten to ask him about whether he'd talked to her after the comment Alexis had made when she stopped by her office.

Leo shook his head and sighed, "A '_concerned citizen'_ reported it when they saw the news release."

Logan shook his head and blew out a frustrated breath. "Great." He gave Leo a panicked look. "You know I didn't do this right?" His voice took on a whole new level of anxiety.

Leo nodded. "I know you didn't." He sighed before he continued. "But it just makes it even more important for us to figure out who did." He looked between the two of them again. "I wanted to give you both a heads up, in case the '_concerned citizen'_ starts sharing their story with the media. Roger would probably need to officially look into it then."

Veronica narrowed her eyes at Leo, "And who is this _'concerned citizen'_? Is it someone we know?"

Leo sighed and nodded at Veronica. "Matt Barone," he answered then looked back at Logan, "apparently he was arriving at City Hall at the same time and overheard you two."

Logan ran his hand nervously through his hair. "Oh that's just wonderful." Veronica reached over and placed her hand on his arm trying to sooth him. He gave her a worried look.

"We'll figure it out Logan," she said in the most comforting tone she could. "Were there any actually helpful tips yet?" she asked Leo.

Leo shook his head. "No not yet, but hopefully as it's reported on more today we may get something. Surely someone had to have seen something near her place from the beach." He gave them both a sympathetic look. "None of the neighbors we interviewed last night saw anything either. There also haven't been any other reported burglaries in her neighborhood, so it makes the likelihood of it being a random robbery lower, though not completely out of the question." He paused again. "Do either of you have any other ideas about who could have done this? I know you didn't know last night Logan, but I was hoping with some time to get over the shock of it all, you may have thought of something."

Logan sighed, "Well it's no secret that she's not always the nicest person and has definitely made a few enemies. But assault or attempted murder?" He shook his head.

"Like I mentioned yesterday, she did get into a fight with Kennedy at Growlers Saturday night, and Kennedy did threaten her." Veronica reminded Leo and then she looked at Logan. "Is Kennedy that unstable though?"

Logan shrugged. "I wouldn't have thought so, but who knows. She definitely has a temper too. You saw her slap Tommy that night a month or so ago when we were leaving Growlers." Veronica nodded in reply.

"On top of all the women she's rubbed the wrong way, there are all the guys she's been seeing and who knows if one of them could have gotten tired of not being the only one." Veronica said regretfully and then looked curiously at Logan again. "Do you think Tommy would do something like that? If he had stopped by and she was planning to have dinner with David, do you think he could have gotten jealous and hit her?"

Logan looked surprised by her question, "I wouldn't think so. But she does know how to push people's buttons, so maybe."

Leo was quietly watching the two of them for a moment before he spoke again. "And then there was the sculpture they used." Logan's eye's got a bit bigger as he looked at Veronica with a slightly concerned expression. He'd forgotten about that with everything else going on. He realized now that Veronica probably saw it and read the inscription too. "Do you know where she normally kept it?" Leo asked, bringing Logan's thoughts back to the current issue at hand.

"Um…" Logan tried thinking back to the last time he'd been at her house before the prior night. "I think it was on a shelf in the living room… maybe near the entry way. It's been a while since I've been over to her house though. Vanessa…" He took a deep breath wondering if her parents called her last night. "Vanessa might know. She was just there on Saturday night. Oh, and she has a cleaning service, so the house cleaner might know where it normally was too."

Leo nodded "That's great. Thanks Logan." Leo looked between the two of them again. "Well at least it sounds like we have several suspects to start with. Kennedy… Tommy… And you'd mentioned something about David in the car last night too."

Veronica saw Logan's jaws clench at the mention of David's name. She looked at him with a worried expression before she spoke again. "My concern is those are just the most obvious, and that there could be even more that we don't even know about."

Leo nodded. "Yeah, she wasn't always the easiest person to get along with."

Logan looked a bit pale. Veronica got closer and put her arms around his waist and he rested his chin on the top of her head. Leo gave him another sympathetic look. "I'm sorry man. I know you two have been friends for a long time."

Logan nodded and sighed. "I still can't believe someone would have hated her enough to do this intentionally though."

"It may not have started out as intentional. She may have just gotten into a heated argument with someone and they lost control." Leo suggested with an understanding expression on his face. Veronica couldn't help but wonder at first if that's what happened with Aaron and Lilly. If he'd actually meant to kill her or if he'd just lost his temper and hit her. Although his chilling confession that horrible night in the Grand Elevator certainly made it clear he had absolutely no remorse about it.

Leo turned his attention to Veronica breaking her out of her memory of Lilly with his next question. "I'm assuming you want to help with the investigation?"

Veronica turned slightly so she could look up at Logan, giving him a questioning glance. She only wanted to get involved if he was okay with it. If he wanted her to stay with him instead, she would. His well being was more important than a case. He gave her a grim smile and nodded. "I really want to find out who did this Veronica." She nodded back and then turned to Leo and nodded to him in confirmation too.

She told Leo she'd be down to the station a bit later in the morning. He let her know that he was planning to have a debriefing with the other deputies at 9am if she could make it. He patted Logan on the shoulder again before he left. "We're going to find out who did this. Don't worry." He gave him a comforting smile before he saw himself back to the front door.

Logan and Veronica stayed behind in the office for a minute to talk before going back out to join Heather and Abigail. They were still standing together with her arms around his waist and his across her back. "I'm sorry I didn't mention the argument to you before," Logan said giving her a worried look. "It happened right before Abigail showed up, and then everything just got a bit crazy."

Veronica shook her head, "Hey, you don't need to apologize for that at all. I knew you were going to try to talk to her. I guess that didn't go so well?" He shook his head. "She also asked me if I was there to lecture her too when I stopped by to ask about the jewelry, so I had guessed that you had tried to talk to her, and meant to ask you last night when you got home. But then… well you know."

He cringed and nodded. She hugged him a little tighter, and then stood up on her tip toes to kiss him gently on the lips. "We'll figure this out okay?"

He gave her a half hearted smile, "If anyone can do it, I know you can."

She was starting to think over everything again. "Do you think Barone could have done this? You'd mentioned him not being happy that she wouldn't date him and it's awfully suspicious that he's also the concerned citizen who reported your argument in the parking lot. He could have…" She didn't want to imply that he did it to set Logan up because then Logan would feel even guiltier, but she'd started to speak before she'd completely thought it through. The fight would give him some sort of motive he could use, and then the weapon being something Logan had given her would make Logan look very suspicious. Matt would also have been very familiar with Lilly's story since he went to school with them at Neptune High. He could have lured her out by the pool some how and then hit her out there. She shuddered just thinking about how absolutely psychotic he'd have to be to go through all that trouble just to frame Logan. And if his only motive was because Alexis wouldn't go out with him and he saw Logan as the reason, well then he really would have to be pretty insane. It's not like they hadn't already had to deal with more than their fair share of psychotic murderers. _Only in Neptune..._

Logan wasn't sure what she was thinking that she didn't finish her sentence, but her expression told him it wasn't good. Logan let out a deep breath. "I wouldn't have thought Matt was that unstable, but at this point I really don't know." Veronica nodded and gave him an understanding smile.

She was already trying to put together a list of potential suspects in her head. Of course Tommy and Kennedy had been at the top of the list to start out with. Tommy… Gavin… Corina… Liam.

She let out a little gasp. "What if Alexis somehow found out about Liam's involvement with Corina's disappearance? That could have been possible with her hanging out with Tommy." She looked up at Logan whose expression became even more troubled.

"I sure as hell hope this doesn't involve the Fitzpatrick's that way," Logan said with a worried tone.

"Me too," Veronica said somberly and let out a worried sigh. She was thinking a call to Troy might be in order to see if he thought there could be any connection.

She was still troubled though by Barone being the one that had called in with the information about their argument in the parking lot. She wondered if he'd exaggerated it to make it sound worse than it was. She was going to have to be sure to read the official statement that he gave when she got into the office.

They stood together in the office for a few more minutes, still embracing each other. "We'll figure it out," she said again, hoping that if she said it enough times he'd believe her and feel better. He nodded and then held her a bit tighter, placing a kiss on top of her head. After another minute they both took a deep breath and headed back out to the table to join Heather and Abigail. Veronica took a couple quick bites of her food, but then said she'd have to hurry off so she could make it to the Sheriff's department before the meeting started.

Logan walked up stairs with her when she went back up to get her shoes and her purse. He stood in the doorway and watched as she grabbed her things. He pulled her in to his chest and squeezed her tightly as she came back toward him to leave, burying his face into her hair. "Please be careful Veronica," he said in a broken voice that made her heart ache. She flashed back to how upset he was when they'd found out Trina was the one using Lynn's credit cards and that Lynn was likely dead, because that's exactly how devastated he seemed now. She inhaled a sharp breath trying to fight the tears that she suddenly felt stinging her eyes at that thought.

After a few seconds when she knew she was composed again, she moved her body slightly away from his chest so she could look up at him. She put her hands on both sides of his cheeks and looked intently into his sad hazel eyes. "I promise, okay?" She nodded and gave him the most reassuring look that she could. "Feel free to text or call later if you need anything… anything at all okay? I swear I'll drop whatever I'm doing if you need me. Okay?" He gave her a grim smile and nodded. "And my dad said he could shift some things around if we needed help with Abby. If it just becomes too much, and you just need some time alone, you can call him too, okay?" He nodded again and she thought he looked like he was about to crumble. She couldn't help but feel like leaving him now was a bad idea. "Hey, maybe I should stay. I can catch up with Leo later and he can fill me in."

He took a deep breath, trying to pull himself back together and shook his head. "No you go. I'll be fine. We'll be fine." He leaned in and gave her a deep kiss then stood back up and tried his best to smile at her. She nodded back, but wasn't completely convinced. "If you want me to meet you later at the hospital so you don't have to be there alone, let me know okay?" He nodded and then dropped his arms from her waist. He took her hand and led her back down stairs. She grabbed her computer bag and gave him one more gentle kiss before saying good bye to Heather and Abigail. It wasn't until she opened the door out to the garage that she finally remembered that she didn't have the BMW because they'd left it at the hospital.

"Um…" she turned back to the others. "I forgot I don't actually have my car."

Luckily Heather was done eating and said she could drop her off on her way back to Hearst. She quickly grabbed her things too and the two of them headed out front to where she'd parked her Mini-Cooper.

"How's he doing?" Heather asked as they drove out of the drive way.

Veronica shook her head. "Honestly, I think he's just barely holding it together. I almost changed my mind about leaving when we went upstairs."

Heather nodded. "I didn't think he looked too good and I've seen him at some of his worst times." She gave Veronica an apologetic look since their break up had been one of those times and they both realized what she meant. "I'm really glad he has you here for him," she continued on. "I couldn't imagine him trying to deal with something like this by himself. He… uh… he did tell me about Lilly once. I was so young when that had happened, I really don't remember hearing about it at all, but her name came up once and he told me some of the story. I can't even imagine finding Alexis basically the same way."

Veronica nodded. That sick feeling returning to the pit of her stomach again. "Yeah, I actually…" she took a deep breath. "I actually was there the night my dad got the call about Lilly and… and saw her. I know how Logan feels. I'm just hoping that Alexis pulls through and is okay, so that he doesn't have to deal with losing someone else in his life again. Not the same way we lost Lilly."

Heather nodded and gave her a sympathetic look. "I hadn't thought about how hard this probably is for you too."

Veronica gave her a small smile and nodded. "I guess it's good we have each other."

Heather nodded in reply. "I'm so glad you came back into his life Veronica. I can honestly say that I don't think he's ever loved anyone the way that he loves you."

Veronica knew that Logan had tried to tell her the same thing, but hearing it from other people made it seem even more real and comforting.

"I know he cares a lot about Alexis, and this is really hard on him because of that, but I hope you don't think it means he loves you any less. You know that right?" Heather said in a genuinely concerned tone.

"How'd you get to be such an insightful young woman?" Veronica asked in a slightly teasing tone, trying to hide how much what she'd said actually meant to her.

"I blame it on having to listen to all of those annoying little quotes Logan was always rattling off when I was growing up around him." Heather replied with a smirk on her face.

Veronica chuckled and shook her head slightly. She'd actually missed those a lot when she'd first left. It was just one of many little things she'd tried to not let herself miss about him when she'd basically run away from Neptune all those years ago. She'd gotten a bit lost in her thoughts when she realized they were already pulling up to the BMW at the hospital. Veronica thanked Heather for the lift and waved as she pulled away.

She debated about whether she should stop in and see how things were with Alexis, but then she decided that might be a bit awkward if her parents were there. Dating their daughter's ex-fiancé just seemed like a bit of an uncomfortable situation, especially since she had no idea how they felt about Alexis and Logan now. He seemed so comfortable with them last night that she couldn't help but wonder if they were the type to hold on to the hope that they would work their problems out and get back together at some point. She couldn't help but recall how they'd asked him if he wanted to go back and see Alexis but not David. Her sensitivity to it the night before was heightened, especially after seeing all the family photos at Alexis's house. She of course had noticed that there weren't any of David there.

_I wonder how her other male romantic interests felt when they saw all the pictures of Logan in her office. Such a contrast to Logan's house where apparently anything left behind by her was tossed in the back of the closet in one of the spare rooms._ She hadn't paid much attention to the living room at Alexis's house as she had walked out to the back yard where all the activity was happening so she wasn't sure if there were more pictures of him there or not._ I wonder what they'd find in her bedroom..._ If things hadn't been so intense, she would have spent more time looking through the house for other hints at what may have happened. There was also the sculpture that apparently she'd kept out on display. She wondered what other sort of things around her house were things Logan had given her. _Don't forget this is a case Veronica, and Logan loves you._ She didn't think anyone would have been back to the house overnight and really wanted to go back to take another look around without being rushed. _Completely for the case, not in a snoopy jealous girlfriend sort of way..._ The fact that they'd used a sculpture that clearly was a gift from Logan and must have been important to her if she kept it around did seem significant to her even if she didn't want to imply as much to Logan. It could also have just been the easiest thing to grab that would have done the most damage too, which is why she wanted to go back and look over the scene again. She was hoping after the briefing at the station, she could go back to the house and have another look at things.

As she drove back to the Sheriff's office, she couldn't help but wonder how many men might fit on the jealous romantic interest list. She was really glad Casey had a sound alibi, not that she would have ever thought he would do something like that, but if it was made public they were dating, she was sure he'd be looked at too. _So there's Tommy who I still think was trying to get Casey out of the picture. I wonder how he really feels about Logan too. I wonder if there's ever been any sort of jealousy about her friendship with him._ She hadn't picked up on anything like that when they'd all been around each other though. David of course would be on that list too as well as Matt Barone._ Was he just being an ass by calling in about the argument they had in the parking lot, or is there something else going on with that? It sure feels suspicious to me._ And like she'd said to Leo, those are just the guys she knew about. She wondered how many other male friends she might have that could have been jealous about not being the only one. Maybe her assistant at work would have some idea of other men she might be more than just good friends with.

Her mind of course kept also floating back to the Tommy-Gavin-Liam connection. She hadn't had a chance to call Troy and would have to do that after the briefing was over. She parked the BMW in her normal spot at the station and headed into the office. Norris was in the main area as she walked in and gave her a small smile and a nod.

"How's Logan holding up?" He asked as Veronica approached him.

Veronica shrugged. "As well as can be expected I suppose." She knew Norris would be just as familiar with what had happened to Lilly as they were given he went to school with them too and with the leaked videos of her crime scene, most of Neptune High knew all the gory details.

He gave her a sympathetic look, "And how are you holding up?" She gave him a grim smile and shrugged again. He nodded in reply. "If I can do anything, you let me know, okay?" She nodded and smiled a bit brighter, and headed back toward the large conference room in the back that they used for briefings.

Leo went over what they had discovered at her house, which wasn't really much. They'd contacted her assistant at City Hall and found out she'd left work about an hour and a half before Logan had found her, which was at about 5:25 based on the 911 call. Besides Logan stopping by her office after she'd left, the assistant said that Matt Barone had also stopped by to see her about 45 minutes before Logan did. _Matt Barone, you just keep popping up don't you? _The assistant had provided a copy of her schedule to them which included the people she'd met with during the last week. The assistant said she'd received several calls on Monday and Tuesday from Casey Gant, which Alexis had not taken. The assistant did mention that Alexis had been planning on having dinner with David Spellman and the assistant had made reservations for them at a restaurant for 7pm.

They weren't able to get any clean prints off the sculpture that had been used to strike her. Leo said he spoke with her doctor again and their normal Medical Examiner and they both agreed that given the weapon that was used, if it was a strong male that inflicted the blow, the damage sustained would have implied that they didn't use full force. Full force from a strong man with that object would have done more damage. They said it could have been a female suspect, which would explain the level of damage that was done, or if it was a male, they may not have intended to kill her and didn't use their full strength.

So far they hadn't received any other tips from the public other than the report of the argument with Logan from Barone. Leo paired Veronica up with Norris and asked two other deputies to also help actively work the case, with other deputies on stand by if they needed extra assistance. The other two were going to start talking with people she'd met with the prior week based on the calendar from the assistant. Veronica said she'd like to go back to the house again to look around for anything else that they might not have noticed the prior night. She also took a copy of the calendar to see if any names stood out to her. She also grabbed a copy of Barone's statement.

Veronica told Norris she'd be ready to go in a few minutes, and that she just wanted to stop in her office first to make a quick call. She went into the office and pulled out the cell phone to contact Troy on. She was hoping he'd be able to talk given it was only 9:30 in the morning.

He sounded a bit sleepy as he answered the phone. "Hey Veronica," he mumbled into the phone and she thought it sounded like he may have rolled over in bed from the background noise.

"Did you hear the news about Alexis Calloway?" Veronica asked as she picked up a pen from her desk and started doodling on a piece of scrap paper she hadn't thrown away yet.

"Yeah," He said as he tried to stifle a yawn. "Sorry, I was at the club later than usual, and then didn't get to bed until about 2 hours ago." He took a deep breath. "She comes to the club sometimes with Tommy right?"

"Yeah, that would probably be her. Listen, I only have a minute. Do you think there's anyway that she could have found out something about Corina or other stuff that Liam might be up to and that one of them might have done it so she wouldn't go to the Sheriff?"

"Well it is Neptune Veronica, anything's possible," He replied in a grumble.

"You okay?" she asked when she heard the frustration in his tone.

"Yeah… I'm just tired of this fucking town." He let out a loud sigh. "I'm sorry… Debbie's birthday was yesterday and I'm just mad I couldn't make it out there to see her."

"Sorry."

"Not your fault Veronica. Anyway, I think Tommy usually stays out of most of the bad stuff that Liam does, but it's possible she could have found out something. But it seems way too sloppy to be something the Fitzpatrick's would have done."

"What if they were interrupted though?"

"Hmmm. Well I don't think Liam would have ever let it play it out that way. If he wanted a witness to be quiet, he wouldn't have risked being interrupted."

"Yeah, I thought it was probably a long shot. What if it was a crime of passion though? Do you think Tommy has a bad enough temper to have done it in a fit of rage?"

"Tommy does actually have a pretty quick temper…" Troy went silent thinking for a moment. "I've never seen him lose his temper with a woman though. And god knows when he was with Kennedy, she gave him lots of reasons… At Liam or his other male cousin's yeah, but he always seems to be a gentleman around women."

"Okay, I'd better go. If you think of anything from seeing her at the club, let me know okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Any luck on our other case?"

Troy let out a frustrated breath, "Nope, nothing new there unfortunately. If Molly has something on Liam, I'm pretty sure it's not at the club."

"We should hear back soon on the phone taps I think, so then we may be able to rattle them a bit."

"Good."

"Thanks Troy… And I'm sorry about… you know. I'm sure she understands."

"Yeah. Thanks Veronica."

Veronica glanced quickly at the copy of Alexis's calendar as she hung up the phone. She noticed a Thursday evening time for racquetball with Mike B. listed. _Who might you be?_ The assistant's number was listed on the paper so she gave her a quick call.

"Hi Jayne, this is Veronica Mars with the Sheriff's Office. I had a quick question about one of Alexis's appointments last week."

"Of course," Jayne said in a slightly worried tone. Veronica remembered Logan commenting that Jayne didn't handle conflict well, and an assault case was probably a bit much for her.

"I saw that she had racquetball listed. Do you know the last name of the guy she played with?"

"Yes, that would be Mike Branford."

"Oh… the realtor?" Veronica asked, a bit surprised by the answer.

"Yes, that's correct. They play pretty much every Thursday evening when she's in town."

"Thanks. And do you know what gym they play at?"

"Um... I'm guessing Neptune Country Club, but I'm not positive. She never asked me to reserve court times for them. I would guess he probably set it up since she has me schedule most things for her."

_Or they weren't actually playing on a court._ Veronica let out a deep breath. _Would Alexis have actually been having an affair with a married man?_ She'd met Mike and wouldn't doubt he'd be having an affair with someone, but she'd guessed the maid or the au pair, or maybe both of them actually. _Well that should be a fun question to ask Logan about._

"Any idea how long they've been playing racquetball together?" Veronica asked next. _I wonder if it was even back when she was with Logan, given his poker night was always Thursday nights too._

"Well I've only been her assistant for the past 2 years, but I know they were already playing back when I started."

"Thanks Jayne," Veronica said before they both said goodbye and hung up.

She wondered if Mrs. _Ice Queen_ Branford could have found out Alexis was sleeping with her husband and gone after her. _She must have some inkling that her husband wasn't being faithful since he seemed like such a player even when I met him._

She took a quick look at Barone's statement. It did sound like a fairly dramatic fight from the way he described it. She seriously doubted it was as bad as he made it sound since Alexis seemed annoyed when she saw her the next day, but not extremely mad. If she had been, she probably wouldn't have mentioned the box of toys for Logan to pick up. She debated about whether to let Logan read the report, but didn't want to cause him more stress either. She decided she'd ask Leo later what he thought she should do about it.

Veronica grabbed her bag after reading Barone's statement and headed out to meet up with Norris. The deputies had found Alexis's house keys on her desk the prior night, so while the house had been locked overnight, they'd be able to get back in with the keys. Veronica mentioned to Norris that she also wanted to talk to Kennedy and so she asked him if they could get her information and stop on their way over to Alexis's. She was hoping she'd be a little more cooperative if they didn't drag her down to the station for questioning, but if things didn't go smoothly, that would be their next option. _Let's see what sort of secrets you might be keeping Kennedy._


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N – As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know what you think with a review! I really do love to hear what people are thinking of the story. I know it gets a lot of reads, so please take a moment to drop me a little note. It makes me more excited to work on it when I get feedback from all of you.**_

_**I just realized the next update won't be out until the day after Christmas, so Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it!**_

_**Oh and there's a little mention in this chapter thanks to an idea from Manic Penguin! Thank you!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 16 – Mysterious Bedfellows

Kennedy lived in a condo that was located in a revitalized part of downtown Neptune, not very far from the Sheriff's Department. Veronica had done a quick background check before they left and found out that Kennedy was waitressing at one of the newer brewpubs that had opened in Neptune and given their hours, Veronica was hoping that she'd be at home. She didn't want to put her on alert right away and so they decided to stop by and see if they could catch her. On the drive over she debated about whether Kennedy might be more forthcoming if she went in to talk to her without Norris, but if she was the person who had actually attacked Alexis, that probably wasn't a wise idea. She decided she'd better let him come in with her just to be safe and not get Leo or Logan angry with her if something did go wrong. They agreed she'd do most of the talking though.

It took a few minutes for Kennedy to come to the door after they rang the bell. Her first reaction seemed to be surprise at seeing a uniformed Deputy and a petite blonde woman at here door. Veronica wasn't quite sure if she actually remembered her from their limited run-ins at Growlers. Kennedy seemed a bit nervous and looked back over her shoulder right after opening the door. She looked like she may have just rolled out of bed by the lack of make-up and mussed up hair. She was wearing a pair of yoga pants and a tank top that just barely covered all her curves. She turned back toward them and looked more closely at Veronica. After a moment a look of recognition passed over her face and she looked a bit more suspiciously at them.

"Can we talk to you for a few minutes Kennedy?" Veronica asked in as friendly of a voice as she could manage. She really didn't care for Kennedy at all after their first run in at Growlers. She reminded her of the bitchy stuck up girls that she had to endure at Neptune High School.

"About what?" Kennedy asked with the same suspicious look on her face. She was still standing in the door way and didn't seem eager to invite them in.

"Can we come in for a few minutes?" Veronica asked with a polite smile.

Kennedy sighed and looked over her shoulder one more time, then turned back to them with an annoyed expression on her face. "Fine," she said as she moved to the side and let them in. Kennedy pointed them to a couch and took a seat in a chair across from them. The condo was very nice inside and the furniture looked quite expensive. A door at the other end of the condo looked like it opened up to a bedroom, and Veronica could make out the edge of a bed and what looked like a leg under the sheet. _Ah, that's why the hesitation to let us in._ The furniture looked much nicer than what a waitress could afford, so Veronica wondered what else she might be up to.

"We're here to talk to you about Alexis Calloway." Veronica said as she turned her attention back to Kennedy.

Kennedy gave her an amused expression. "If you're here to ask if I'd like to press charges against her for hitting me Saturday…" She stopped as Veronica shook her head.

"No actually someone attacked her at her home last night and we're investigating that." Veronica explained, watching her reaction carefully. "You may have heard about that on the local news?"

Kennedy's eyes opened a bit wider before she spoke again. "Oh, I hadn't heard. I had a late shift last night at work and had just woken up when you rang the door bell." She pulled her legs up into the chair and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Where were you yesterday between 4 and 5:30?" Veronica asked curiously since it seemed like Kennedy had gotten a bit nervous.

"Um…" Kennedy looked toward her kitchen for a moment then back at them. "I would have been here until 5:30 since my shift didn't start until 6 last night."

"Can someone corroborate that?" Veronica asked with her eyebrow raised.

"Maybe," Kennedy answered sounding even more nervous. "Why, am I a suspect?"

"Well you did threaten her at the club Saturday night." Veronica replied.

Kennedy laughed. "Yeah, after she punched me in the nose. But I didn't… I didn't go to her house and attack her for that." Her expression changed back to being more serious again.

"What did happen Saturday night?" Veronica asked next.

Kennedy shrugged. "You were there. You saw what happened."

Veronica looked at her suspiciously, "No I meant before that. I think you slipped something in Casey's drink to get him to fall all over you on the dance floor, but what I'm not sure about is why."

Kennedy gave her an innocent look. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Veronica narrowed her eyes more at her. "Well right now you look rather suspicious without a real alibi for yesterday and making a threat in public that you'd get even with her, which I personally overheard."

Kennedy let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "I didn't do anything to Alexis."

Veronica figured Kennedy didn't want to say anything about drugging Casey with Norris there, but she still wanted to find out what had been going on that night. "Do you have any idea who may have, because right now I'd put you at the top of our list?" Kennedy shrugged and shook her head looking more anxious than before. "Whose idea was it for you to dance with Casey Saturday night?" Veronica asked next.

Kennedy looked down at her toes for a moment before answering. "It was Tommy's idea. He hated that Alexis was spending so much time with Casey and was pissed that she was spending her birthday with Casey instead of him."

Veronica wasn't terribly surprised by that answer. "But why did you agree to help him?"

Kennedy shrugged again. "Because I don't like her and I thought ruining her birthday celebration sounded like a great idea. Of course I didn't expect to get punched in the face by her either. I never would have gone along with it if I'd known that was going to happen."

"Did you know that Tommy ended up going home with her that night?"_ Maybe Kennedy did it because she's in love with Tommy and then when he went home with Alexis instead of her, she decided to take Alexis out of the equation._

Kennedy shook her head, but didn't look all that surprised or angry. "I didn't really consider his entire plan all that well I suppose. I should have figured that Tommy was just doing it as a way to get back into her bed again."

"Again?" Veronica asked curiously.

Kennedy nodded. "They got into a fight I guess the prior weekend. Tommy made it sound like she said she didn't want to see him anymore. Something about him not being good enough for her or a bad influence or something." _Maybe Dick's warning had gotten through to her after all, even if only temporarily._ "He was pretty mad about it when I ran into him in the middle of the week. That's when he asked me if I wanted to help ruin her night on her birthday. I thought he was doing it to make her miserable, but apparently he was just trying to worm his way back into her life again."

"What's your relationship with Tommy?" Veronica still wasn't ready to give up on Kennedy doing it out of jealousy.

Kennedy looked between Veronica and Norris for a moment. "Well… We dated a while ago, but we're just friends now."

"You're not involved romantically with him currently?" Veronica asked and Kennedy shook her head. "That was an awfully big favor for you to do for him on Saturday night if you're just friends." Veronica glanced back at the bedroom, wondering who was actually waiting for her in her room. _If I asked to use the bathroom would that look too suspicious?_

Kennedy just shrugged. "Like I said, I really don't like her… but not enough to go to her house and attack her. Is she…" She trailed off and gave Veronica a worried look.

"She's in the hospital in a coma currently." Veronica answered.

Kennedy's eyes opened wide. "Oh that's… terrible."

"Thanks for talking with us. If we have any more questions we may contact you again. Please let us know if you think of anything that can help us figure out who may have done this." Veronica said as she stood up. Norris stood as well and gave Kennedy a curt nod before leading the way to the door.

Once they were back in the patrol car Veronica told him not to start the car yet. "There was a guy in her room, and I'm curious about who it may have been and if they're mixed up in any of this. I'm still not convinced it wasn't Tommy, regardless of what she said."

Norris nodded and looked back toward the door of the condo. "So what? You want to stake out her condo until he leaves?"

"Hmmm… stake outs are so boring." Veronica said with a smirk. She glanced around the area and then pulled out her cell phone.

"Hey Daddio," she said in a chipper voice as Keith answered her call.

"How's it going kiddo? You sound in better spirits than I expected after last night's call." Veronica cringed for a moment, getting so caught up in the case that she'd momentarily forgotten the ramifications of it all.

"Yeah… well… I'm working the case as we speak," She replied feeling a bit guilty all of a sudden.

"Ah… I see," Keith answered. Of course he knew better than anyone how she could throw herself into work to avoid dealing with difficult issues.

"Actually I was going to see if you had any good video devices that you could come down and place so I could try to figure out who's in someone's bedroom at the moment."

Keith chuckled lightly into the phone. "And will I get paid for this little operation? You know I have a consulting fee too."

Veronica laughed softly. "Oh come on! Isn't the satisfaction that you helped out your one and only daughter enough?"

Keith laughed again and asked for the address. Veronica said they'd stay until he arrived so they wouldn't accidentally miss the guy. There was a coffee stand a half a block away, so Norris said he'd grab them some drinks while she sat in the car watching things until her dad arrived. She smiled to herself as Keith pulled up and gave her a little nonchalant wave and started scoping out the best place to leave the small video recording device. She watched him finishing up as Norris got back into the car. "Thanks, she said as he handed her a cup. Poppa Mars is on the case so we're good to roll now."

Norris gave her an amused smile and nodded and started the car. "Where to now? Alexis's house, or did you want to try to track down Tommy?"

Veronica sighed, "Well if Tommy's the guy in Kennedy's bed, it won't do much good to go to his place looking for him. Given Kennedy sort of ratted him out in there, I sort of doubt it is him, although maybe she did it because I told her he ended up with Alexis again that night. Let's just start at Alexis's anyway and then we can track down Tommy later. Even if it's not him at Kennedy's and he is at home, I'd still like to get back into Alexis's house and look around for a while anyway."

"Alexis's it is then," Norris replied as he smiled at her and put the car in drive. "Do you think Kennedy could have been the one to attack Alexis?"

Veronica shook her head. "I don't think so, but I'm not completely ruling her out yet either."

Norris unlocked the door for her once they arrived at Alexis's house and let her enter first. The office was off to the right of the entry way and on the left was the living room and kitchen. There were several shelves with pictures and other knick knacks. She noticed that the pictures in the living room were mostly only of her and her family. Logan wasn't actually in any of those pictures. There were several large framed black and white photographs that she assumed Alexis had taken. One was the same one that she'd seen at Hearst of the hammock and beach scene. _Well no pictures of Logan's face at least in the living room. _All the pictures had an ocean theme. She looked more closely at one with large waves and a setting sun. She hadn't noticed at first that there was a surfer in the picture, but with the lighting, it was only a silhouette and you couldn't actually see the person's face, of course she'd know that particular body anywhere. _So Logan is featured in the living room as well, you just have to know where to look for him. _There was a space on the shelf between two pictures of her and her family where she was guessing the wave sculpture had probably been sitting. If that was the location, it would have been fairly prominent when you walked into the living room. The other deputies were going to try to reach the cleaning service as well, but it seemed like a very likely place for it to have been located. Veronica looked at the picture that was closest to that spot. Alexis was wearing a Theta Beta sweatshirt standing next to Marjorie, who was also in a matching sweatshirt. _It's hard to imagine that if things hadn't gone so badly freshman year, they actually wanted me to join their sorority too._ She briefly wondered how different her life could have ended up if she'd made different choices that year of her life. She shook her head and went back to looking around.

Nothing in the living room seemed abnormal. She didn't see anything that would have implied a struggle or someone chasing her outside. She went into the kitchen and she noticed an empty glass was sitting on the counter. She'd put on gloves when they came in, and picked up and smelled the glass. She couldn't detect a scent of anything, so figured it probably hadn't been used. Given there was only one glass, it didn't seem as if she had been getting drinks for her and who ever else may have been there.

Veronica said she was going to go look around upstairs next. The bedrooms were all very orderly and nothing looked like someone had been searching through them. The master bedroom had another large framed black and white photograph on the wall. It was another picture of an ocean with a setting sun and in the very edge of the photo there was a person leaning against a palm tree looking out toward the ocean watching the waves as the sun was about to drop below the horizon. Again it was only a silhouette, but Veronica was positive it was probably Logan. He wasn't very prominent in the photo, but he wasn't cropped out either. She wondered if anyone else would have actually noticed since it wasn't the main focus of the picture. After so many pictures of Logan in Alexis's office, she hadn't been sure what to expect in other parts of the house. She wasn't sure whether or not it made her feel much better that the other ones were only silhouettes that only Alexis would actually know who was in them.

She walked into Alexis's closet and took a quick look around there next. She saw a safe on a shelf that she assumed was where her expensive jewelry was kept. It was locked and didn't look as if it had been tampered with at all. She also did find a racquetball racket on one of the shelves. _Well at least she does own a racket._ She didn't notice anything out of the ordinary in the closet. She finished looking around upstairs and headed back down to the office again. She had mostly focused on the photographs the prior night, and this time noticed there were several shelves with books and what looked like photo albums. She pulled out one and flipped through it briefly. It must have been from when she went to Hearst. There were several pictures of her with her sorority sisters, quite a few taken in the sorority house so she recognized the location. There were a couple with a different location and she wondered if maybe it was the sorority house at UCLA. It would make sense that she was in the same sorority at both colleges. David was in a few of them, and he was wearing a Pi Sig sweatshirt in a couple of the pictures. _Interesting, I didn't realize he was in the same fraternity as Dick had been, although that would have been at UCLA too._ Toward the back of the album she found several with Alexis and Logan. There were even a couple of pictures with the two of them and Piz and Marjorie. The next album seemed to be entirely of one of their trips to Australia. There were some family albums too. She moved on to Alexis's desk. She opened the drawers and looked through them, but didn't notice anything suspicious at all. She pulled Alexis's laptop out of her brief case and booted it up. She wasn't surprised that there was a password. _I'll have to see if her assistant might know the password and if not, maybe Mac can help. _She gave Jayne a quick call, and found out that she didn't know Alexis's password. Jayne had access to her work email and calendar though from her own computer in the office, but not her personal email. She knew she'd need to get approval before they actually did look at information on her computer since it was locked. She decided to take it back to the Sheriff's office until they determined if they could look on it and then she'd see if Mac could help them.

She decided to go out to the backyard next. When she walked out and saw the dried blood near the pool, she felt the bile rise in her throat again. She tried not to think back to the scene at the Kane's, but it still wasn't any easier. _How did you end up out here when it happened, Alexis?_ Veronica looked around again to try to figure out why Alexis would have been out by the pool when she was attacked if it hadn't been intentionally done that way by someone. The detectives the night before hadn't been able to find anything useful the night before either. Veronica spent some time wandering around the yard, but also didn't find any useful clues. She avoided spending too much time looking at the hammock. _Between the secret photos and the hammock, it was as if Alexis was actually trying to taunt me without even being here._ She went out the gate toward the ocean, propping it open so she could get back in when she was finished. She looked around in the sand near the gate and walked out to the beach a little ways. There were several people out walking or jogging on the beach and a few women with younger children playing as well. No one paid much attention to her, and she noticed several other yards also had gates that opened up to the same area.

She went back in, closing the gate behind her and headed back into the house to see if Norris noticed anything unusual. Her cell phone rang as she was closing the doors to the back yard. She didn't recognize the number.

"Hello, this is Veronica Mars."

"Hi, this is Mrs. Bennett. I was told you called yesterday when I was out of town?"

"Yes, I've been working on the Jewelry robbery cases. I had a question about your amethyst necklace."

"Did you find it finally?" Mrs. Bennett asked hopefully.

"No, I'm sorry. Not yet anyway. I was wondering if you had ever loaned your necklace to Stephanie Whitman to wear to a formal dance?" Veronica asked.

Mrs. Bennett laughed, "That necklace cost over ten thousand dollars. No, I never loaned it to Stephanie to wear to a dance."

"Do you also have an expensive sapphire necklace too?"

"Yes, but that one wasn't stolen. I actually wore it last weekend."

"Can you send me a picture of that one? You can text it to this number. I'm following up on a potential lead and would like to see if it matches a necklace I saw in a picture."

"A picture with Stephanie?" Mrs. Bennett asked. Veronica was impressed by her intuitiveness.

"Yes, Stephanie and another girl, Stacey Davenport."

Mrs. Bennett let out a deep sigh. "I can't imagine the girls taking my necklaces without asking. Maybe they were just wearing ones that were sort of similar?"

"Well if you can send me a picture of your sapphire one, it will help."

"Of course. I'll send it very soon."

"Thank you." They both said good bye and she ended the call.

Norris met up with her in the kitchen to see if she'd found anything and what their next stop was. Her cell phone went off again and she saw it was her dad.

"Hey Dad. What's up?"

"I thought I'd let you know your mystery man left and I have a shot of him from the video camera."

"You're the best!" She said cheerily into the phone. "Can you send me a screen shot of him?"

"Yep. It's on its way now to your phone and um... I don't think he's as mysterious as you may have thought. Did you want me to leave the camera there longer, or go back and retrieve it?"

_Interesting…_ "Let me check the picture and I'll let you know." Her phone made a small beep. "Hang on for a second and let me take a look."

Veronica clicked on the email message he'd sent and opened the attachment. "Well I'll be damned." Norris shot her a curious look and she held her phone up to show him. "Look familiar?" Norris nodded his head and smiled.

Veronica put the phone back to her head. "Thanks Dad. I'm not sure we need to keep watching them, but you're right, not so mysterious, though a bit of a surprise."

"Was that who I thought it was then? I haven't seen him for a couple years, but thought I recognized him."

"Well if you thought it was Gavin Fitzpatrick, then yes."

Keith let out a frustrated sigh. "You think he had something to do with Alexis's attack?"

"I'm not sure." Veronica answered as her mind started working through scenarios again.

"Well be careful sweetheart." Keith said in his warning fatherly tone.

"Always," She replied with a grin.

Keith laughed slightly. "And don't forget you owe me a favor now."

Veronica let out a sigh, "Speaking of favors… have you talked to Logan at all today?"

Keith sighed, "No honey, he hasn't called. I did mean what I said yesterday and if either of you need some help with Abby, just let me know. Alicia also said she'd be willing to take some time off to help too."

"Thanks pops. I'll let you know." They said their goodbyes and she switched back to look at the picture again. "So, Kennedy and Gavin. I wonder how long that's been going on? I also wonder now if she helped Tommy out more as a favor for Gavin than just Tommy."

"Perhaps that's also why she said she 'maybe' had someone who could corroborate her whereabouts yesterday?" Norris offered.

Veronica nodded. "She maybe didn't want to involve him if she really didn't have to. Fitzpatrick's aren't particularly good alibi's either. She may also know we questioned him about Corina's disappearance and wouldn't want to cause more trouble for him."

Veronica glanced down at her phone for a moment. "I um… I think I'm going to check in with Logan quickly and see how he's doing."

Norris nodded at her. "If we're done here, I could just meet you in the car. I didn't find anything that stood out to me, you?"

Veronica shook her head. "No, me either. Sounds good. I'll be out in a few minutes and will lock the doors again. Hey could you grab Alexis's laptop on your way out too?"

Norris nodded and headed back toward the office. She waited until she heard the front door close, and then pressed Logan's name on her phone.

"Hey," Veronica said as the line connected.

"Hey," Logan replied back. "I was actually going to call you in a little bit. I'm just dropping Abby off at Mac and Dick's and was going to head over to the hospital next."

"Did you want me to meet you there?"

"If you're not too busy, that would be great. But if you're tied up, I'll understand."

"Nope, I can make time for sure." She thought he sounded better than he had when she left the house that morning though no where close to his normal jovial self. "I'll have Norris drop me off and then he can come back for me later."

"Thanks, Veronica. I'll be there soon. I love you."

"I love you too. See you there." They said goodbye and she headed out to the car, making sure all the doors were locked as she left.

Norris dropped her off at the hospital and said he'd go back to the office and check in with the other deputies and for her to call when she was ready for him to come back to get her.

She was waiting in the lobby for Logan when she heard someone call her name. She turned to see Emily. Emily had a concerned look on her face as she walked over. "Hi. I heard about what happened to Alexis. How absolutely horrifying." Veronica nodded in reply. "I talked a little with Leo about it last night and again this morning. I hope they find whoever did it, especially if it was a random attack and someone else might be in danger next." Veronica nodded her reply again before Emily continued on. "He also mentioned how hard it's all been on Logan. I know the two of them were good friends, so I can understand why he'd be worried about her."

"Yeah, plus with him being the one to find her, that's made it even more difficult for him." Veronica added as a slight shiver coursed through her body thinking about that again.

Emily shuddered, "Poor Logan. I can't even imagine finding one of my friends like that. Of course being a nurse, I frequently do see horrific injuries, but if it was a close friend, that would be so devastating."

Veronica nodded in agreement. "I'm actually waiting for him to meet me here."

"I wish I could stick around and say hello to him too, but my shift is starting in just a few minutes. Please let him know that I'm so sorry he had to go through all of that. And if there's anything I can do, please let me know. Leo mentioned his niece is staying with you and I have a few days off this week if you need anyone to watch her."

"Thanks Emily. I'll be sure to let him know and keep your offer in mind for Abby."

Emily gave her a slightly sympathetic look and leaned in a little closer putting her hand on her arm, "How are you holding up? I'm sure this can't be easy for you if he's handling it as badly as Leo described."

Veronica shrugged and gave her a small smile. "I'm just trying to be as supportive for him as possible. We've both had too many things like this happen in our lives unfortunately."

Emily nodded and moved her hand away. "Well if you need any one to talk to yourself, you be sure to let me know okay?"

Veronica gave her a grateful smile and nodded as Emily turned and headed towards the elevators to go up to the pediatric floor.

Veronica took a seat in one of the chairs and waited for Logan. As she was waiting, her phone chimed again. There was a text from Mrs. Bennett with the picture of her sapphire necklace. Veronica was pretty sure it was the same necklace Stacey had been wearing, but the picture was back in her office, so she'd have to wait to compare later. She was just putting her phone away when Logan walked in. As soon as he spotted her, a relieved smile formed on his face. He looked so exhausted from the stress and not sleeping well the night before. She stood up and walked over to meet him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, placing a lengthy kiss on the top of her head. "It's so good to see you." He whispered into her hair.

She tipped her head up to look at him, and gently ran her hand over his face. She gave him a loving smile and tipped up to kiss him softly on the lips. "How'd your morning with Abby go?"

A small smile flitted across his lips for a moment. "It was good. We walked down to the beach after breakfast and looked for shells and agates to pick up. She even found a whole sand dollar."

"That sounds fun," Veronica replied. She was glad they'd done something that hopefully kept his mind off of Alexis. Although she imagined with all the time they'd spent surfing and at the ocean, it probably wasn't the best distraction.

"And one of the neighbors up the beach was out walking with his dog, so they stopped so Abby could play catch with him." Logan continued.

"Mr. Murphy with the golden Labradoodle?"

Logan nodded, "Yeah, Toodles the Labradoodle." She gave him a little smile at the silliness of his name. "Abby loved him of course and tried to talk Mr. Murphy into letting her have him." Veronica had met them one day when they were out walking through the neighborhood and she had to admit Toodles was one adorable dog. "He negotiated with her that she could stop by and visit him any time she liked." Veronica had chatted with Mr. Murphy a bit that day and learned he was retired and recently widowed. She imagined he'd probably love to have Abby and one of them come visit him. She made a mental note to maybe make a batch of cookies with Abby to take down to visit him. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she thought of it.

Logan gave her a curious expression. "I was just thinking, Abby and I could make some snicker doodles, to take to see Toodles the Labra-doodle." He chuckled softly and kissed her on the head.

"I'm sure both of them would love that," Logan replied with a little nod. "Any breaks on the case?" Logan asked next with a hopeful expression.

Veronica looked around the lobby, "Maybe we could find a quiet spot to talk before we go up to the ICU?" Logan nodded and looked around too. There was a reception desk and he gestured to it. They walked over and the young woman sitting behind the counter asked if she could help them. Veronica gave the girl an authoritative look, "I'm with the Sheriff's Department and wondered if there was a private room we could use to discuss an official matter in private."

The girl smiled and nodded. "You're free to use one of the consultation rooms along the west wall if you'd like."

Veronica smiled and thanked her and then they walked over to one of the small rooms that were empty and closed the door behind them. Logan immediately pulled her against his chest and leaned down to kiss her again. "Mmmm… I missed you so much today." He said softly as he pulled his lips away from hers. He left his forehead resting against hers and took a deep breath.

"I missed you too." She said lovingly. She reached up and ran her hand up through his hair.

He smiled grimly then took a step back and pulled out a chair for her and after she sat down, pulled another out for himself.

"So what did you find out so far?"

"Well we went to see Kennedy." Logan nodded and waited for her to continue. "She did admit that it was Tommy's idea for her to dance with Casey Saturday night. She said he'd told her he was mad because apparently Alexis had decided the prior weekend that she wasn't going to see him anymore. Kennedy thought he was doing it to ruin her birthday because of that. Of course it makes more sense that he was trying to make Alexis mad at Casey so he could win her back and it sounded like he was successful at that based on what Vanessa told us." She paused for a moment before she continued. "I could tell there was a guy in her bedroom while we were there too." Logan's eyebrows raised up as she shared that information. "I had my dad set up a camera and found out it was actually Gavin Fitzpatrick."

"That's surprising," Logan said with wide eyes. Veronica nodded in agreement.

"I don't think she's the one who attacked Alexis though, but she didn't give us a solid alibi yet either. I get the sense she may have been with Gavin and didn't want to drag him into it if she didn't have to." Veronica took a deep breath. _This isn't going to be very easy._ "Did you know that Alexis played racquetball with Mike Branford?" Logan's expression became surprised and he shook his head. "Her assistant said they played every Thursday evening that she was in town and that they'd been doing it for at least as long as she'd worked for Alexis."

Logan gave her a concerned look. "And I'm guessing you don't think they were actually playing racquetball do you?"

Veronica shrugged. "I haven't verified it yet. Do you know if she had a membership at any gyms that have racquetball courts?"

Logan nodded, "Yeah she's a member at the Neptune Country Club, so she could have been playing there. We did play sometimes in college and even a few times after, so I do know she actually does play."

_Is he trying to convince me or himself that she maybe wasn't actually having an affair with a married man?_ She thought about asking about his poker nights, but if she'd been doing it for the past two years, it really didn't matter if it was longer than that as well. "Did you know she was friends with Mike?"

"Well he did help us buy my house, and then when we split up, he helped her find hers, so I knew that they knew each other. But no, I didn't realize they were that good of friends." Veronica nodded in response.

"I uh…" Logan started then hesitated and stopped. She gave him a curious look and waited a moment to see if he'd continue. "I was thinking more about Matt and why he's always been such an ass to me since I became mayor. I uh… it was so long ago that I'd forgotten… but with everything going on, I don't know… I was just thinking back to before… you know…" he paused again and gave her a worried look. She gave him an encouraging smile, hoping he wouldn't feel bad about whatever he was going to say. "I'd forgotten that during one of my break ups with Lilly that she hooked up with him at a party. I think you were out of town that weekend… There was a party at Josie Shelman's house and I… no surprise I had way too much to drink and ended up finding them together at the party and may have… I may have punched him. And then by Monday we'd gotten back together and I'd totally forgotten about the drunken incident that happened over the weekend."

"Oh," Veronica said as he finished. "Well, apparently he may not have forgotten about that." She tried to give him a comforting smile, but there was a tinge of worry there too.

Logan ran his hand nervously through his hair. Veronica reached out and squeezed his other hand. He gave her a solemn look and moved his hand from his head to hers. "Thanks for being so understanding through all of this," He said as he brushed his hand softly over her hair.

She nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. "I love you Logan. I'll always be there for you when you need me. No matter what we have to face, we'll face it together."

He nodded and a small smile formed on his lips as he leaned closer to her and pressed his lips against hers with a gentle kiss. "I love you so much." He said as he pulled his lips away from hers.

"I know," she said softly. Their faces were still so close that she could feel soft puffs of breath against her lips when he exhaled. She ran her fingers tenderly up his neck and into his hair. "If you want me to come home with you this afternoon, I can just have Norris keep working on the case without me."

Logan shook his head. "I'll be fine. Abby's actually going to stay the night at Mac's, so I'll probably stay here quite a while and keep Alexis's family company. Her dad called me this morning right after you left to let me know they did call Vanessa and she was coming over today too." Veronica gave him a grim smile and nodded.

"Did they have any news on Alexis when they called?"

Logan shook his head again and took a deep breath, "No. There hadn't been a change yet when they called."

She nodded in reply. "Shall we go up and see how things are going now?"

He nodded and leaned in to give her another kiss before they stood up to leave. She reached down and intertwined her fingers with his and led him out of the room and toward the elevators.


	17. Chapter 17 - Bad Penny

_**A/N – Lots of case work in this chapter. I hope the mystery keeps everyone guessing and doesn't become too obvious too fast. Writing mysteries is definitely challenging!**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know what you think with a review! I really do love to hear what people are thinking of the story. It makes me more excited to work on it when I get feedback from all of you.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 17 – Bad Penny

As Logan and Veronica walked off the elevator on the ICU floor, they spotted Tyler sitting in one of the waiting area chairs. Veronica heard Logan take a deep breath before walking over to him.

"Tyler," Logan said with a small nod of his head as Tyler looked up at them. Tyler stood up and reached out his hand to shake Logan's. He gave Veronica a quick nod as the two of them were shaking hands. Veronica could clearly see a great deal of concern in Tyler's expression, but she wasn't sure if it was due to the situation with Alexis or from Logan being there. Tyler had certainly seemed afraid of him when she first saw him at Growlers, although he had seemed a bit more at ease when they had breakfast together the following morning. She assumed though it was probably a combination of both things all blended together.

"Any change yet?" Logan asked with a hopeful tone.

Tyler shook his head before he spoke in an almost timid voice. "At least not when we arrived and first talked with Victor and Maggie. Nessa went back with them about twenty minutes ago. David was just leaving as we arrived and he looked pretty shaken up when he came out of the room with them, so I'm really worried on how hard this is going to be on her."

Logan nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat thinking back to first finding her and then seeing her hooked up to all the machines once she was in the ICU. It was difficult to see someone with as much energy as Alexis, looking so motionless and frail. He glanced over at Veronica for a moment. If anything like that ever happened to her he had no idea how he'd be able to function at all. He pulled her a little closer and kissed her temple. She looked up at him and gave him a grim smile.

"So David left then?" Veronica asked Tyler a bit surprised that he had left already after staying the night.

Tyler nodded. "He said he had something to take care of in LA and that he'd be back tonight or tomorrow morning."

While it would probably be easier on Logan not having him around, she still thought it was odd that he had left so soon. As she was thinking about that, Vanessa and her dad came back out. He had his arm around her shoulder and she was leaning into him as they walked. Obviously the possibility of losing another sibling was as difficult for her as losing another child was to her parents. She didn't seem to notice them at first but as they got to within a few feet away from them a look of realization crossed her face. She still looked extremely devastated but tried to give them a small smile. She stepped away from her dad and reached out for Logan giving him a tight hug.

"Hey sweetie," he whispered softly as he held her tightly for a moment.

"Her mom and I thought she should go get some lunch." Victor said to the small group now all standing in the middle of the reception area. Tyler nodded and reached out his hand for her. She sniffled and took a step back from Logan, taking Tyler's hand and folding into his side as he kissed her forehead.

"Any change?" Logan asked Victor cautiously.

Victor took a deep breath. "The doctor said it's encouraging that she's been breathing on her own. They did put a feeding tube in last night since they weren't sure how long it will be before she wakes up. The tests have been positive so far though." Logan gave him a grim smile and nodded. "Did you want to go back and see her? You could take Veronica back if you wanted to. They don't want more than three people in her room at a time though, so I could wait out here if you two want to go back and join Maggie."

Veronica gave him a small appreciative smile. "Thank you, but you should go back with Logan." She gave Logan an encouraging nod. He smiled at her then turned back to Victor. "I'll be there in just a few minutes."

Victor nodded, and then gave Vanessa another hug, before patting Tyler on the shoulder and turning back toward the patient area.

"I'm so sorry about this Vanessa," Veronica said with a somber expression. Vanessa nodded and gave her a small smile and then wrapped her arm around Tyler's waist again.

"Let's get you and the baby some lunch, okay?" Tyler said softly as he wrapped his arm protectively across her shoulders. She nodded again and they said a quick goodbye and headed back to the elevator.

"Did you get some lunch?" Veronica asked Logan with a concerned look. He hadn't eaten any dinner the night before and had barely touched his breakfast that morning. He may not be sustaining another life, like Vanessa, but he still needed to take care of himself too.

He shrugged. "I grabbed an apple when I dropped Abby off with Mac."

Her expression became a bit scolding but still full of concern too. "You really need to eat more than that you know?"

He nodded. "I'll run down to the cafeteria later." She wasn't entirely sure if she believed him, but hoped he actually would.

"Did you want me to stay for awhile? Until you come back out?" She asked with a compassionate expression in her face. While he had seemed better when they first met downstairs, she was worried that being back in the ICU with the gravity of the situation highlighted once more, that he was starting to crumble again. She'd caught a glimpse of the devastated expression he'd had on his face the prior night return when he was first talking to Tyler.

He took a deep breath and gave her a small smile. "While I'd love to have you out here waiting for me, I'm sure there's more case work for you to do. I'll call you later if I need some moral support though." He reached up and ran his hand through her hair, looking at her with a soft loving expression. She could tell he was completely conflicted about his answer. While he probably knew logically that having her working on the case was the best thing to do, she could tell that emotionally, he really wanted her there for him too.

"I could stay Logan." She looked up at him with a concerned loving expression on her face. "Norris and the other deputies can go and interview suspects this afternoon and I can stay here with you."

Logan shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. And I'm not alone, since her parents and Vanessa are here too. You know they're like family to me." _Even though that's a little painful to hear, I am glad he has people he feels that way about._

She nodded with a grim smile and then answered him a bit reluctantly. "Okay, but I'll check back later and see how everything is going."

He pulled her in for a tight embrace. She tipped her head up so they could kiss goodbye. "I love you," she said softly after the kiss.

He took a deep breath and gave her another quick kiss. "I love you too Veronica. You mean the world to me you know? Please be careful while you're out there working. I couldn't..." A devastated look crossed his face and he didn't finish.

She put her hand on his cheek, "I know. I'll be careful. I promise."

He let out a shaky breath and squeezed her tightly again before releasing her. He gave her one last loving glance before he turned and headed in the direction Victor had gone. Veronica stood there until she watched Logan disappear behind the door that led to the patient rooms. Once he was gone, she walked toward the elevator and pushed the button waiting for the doors to open. She was a little surprised when they did open and a somber looking Casey stepped out and almost ran into her.

"Hey Casey," She said softly as he readjusted course, realizing there was a body in front of him. He looked up a bit confused at first at seeing her there. She could tell he seemed pretty out of sorts and distressed over everything.

"Veronica. Oh hi. I'm sorry. I don't know why I didn't realize it was you at first." He moved a bit farther out of the way of the elevator and she took a step back as well deciding she should spend a few minutes with him before leaving.

"How are you doing?" Veronica asked as she placed her hand on his arm.

"I'm still shocked that this happened, you know?" He shook his head before he continued. "God it's almost like Lilly isn't it?"

She nodded and took a deep breath. She knew Casey and Lilly had been pretty close at times too. They were both in the grade ahead of her, Logan and Duncan and had gone to school together since they were in middle school. She hadn't been particularly close with him at the time of Lilly's murder, but she could imagine it was probably tough for him to lose her too. She was pretty sure that Lilly and Casey had hooked up a few times when she was broken up with Logan, though it was something she'd never really discussed with Logan or Lilly, and certainly not Casey himself.

"At least Logan happened to stop by and was able to get the paramedics there before it was too late." Veronica replied trying to find the positive aspects of the situation.

Casey nodded. "I'd tried to call her so many times since Saturday night. I wanted to apologize and try to explain about that night. Not that I really have any idea why Kennedy did what she did."

Veronica cringed. She didn't want Casey to feel even worse than he already did, and she wasn't sure getting him upset about what Tommy had orchestrated would help matters any. "I did talk with Alexis for a little bit earlier yesterday. I'm pretty sure she had come to the conclusion that it wasn't your fault if that makes you feel any better."

He gave her a thankful smile and nodded. "How's she doing now?" He asked with concern creeping over his face again.

Veronica took a deep breath, "Well she's still unconscious, but there are some positive signs the doctors have noted. They don't know how long it may take for her to wake up though. Logan's back there with her parents right now. They said there could only be 3 people in the room at once though, but I'm sure they'll be back out in a little while since Vanessa is here with Tyler too. They headed down to the cafeteria to get something to eat."

Casey nodded and looked around the waiting area. Veronica felt bad just leaving him there, but did want to get back to work too. In the end her concern for him won out though. "Do you want me to stay with you until they come back out or Vanessa comes back?"

He gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks Veronica. I'll be fine though. You were on your way out when I ran into you, weren't you?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, but I can stay if you'd like."

"Thanks, but I'll be okay." He gestured with his head toward the chairs. "I'll just go and make myself comfortable until someone I know shows up."

She gave him a small understanding smile, then nodded and headed back to the elevators again. She sent Norris a text once she was in the elevator and said she'd be waiting downstairs in the lobby entrance for him. She used the time she was waiting for him to think over the case and decide where they should go next. She wanted to talk with Tommy, Mike Branford and Matt Barone. She also remembered that she needed to compare the necklace Mrs. Bennett had sent her to the one Stacey was wearing in the picture from Stephanie's Facebook page.

It didn't take Norris long to arrive, and she asked him if they could go back to the station so she could check on the necklaces. He filled her in on what the other detectives had learned so far that morning as he drove. "So the cleaning service did confirm that the wave sculpture normally sat on the shelf that you'd pointed out before we left. Other than that, they haven't uncovered much from talking with the people she'd met with the few days prior to the attack. I assumed you'd want us to talk with Tommy, Branford and Barone, so let them know we'd handle those three. They were going to go out and try talking with some of the neighbors again on the off chance that someone who saw something just wasn't around when we were there last night. Oh, do you want me to send them to the various places around town that would have racquetball courts?"

"Yeah, have them start with the Country Club. Logan said she did have a membership there, and that he actually did play racquetball with her when they were in college together."

Norris nodded in reply as they pulled into the parking lot at the Sheriff's office. They climbed out of the car and headed inside. She said she'd just need a few minutes, and then they could head out to see if they could track down Tommy, Mike and Matt. He told her he'd call the other two detectives working on Alexis's case and have them start checking into the racquetball angle.

Veronica walked into her office and opened the file folder with the picture of Stephanie and Stacey from the dance. She opened the picture from Mrs. Bennett and wasn't terribly surprised that it was a match. She sent the picture from Mrs. Bennett to her printer so she could add it to the case file and to show to Leo. She grabbed the print out and the case file, and then headed over to his office.

He was on the phone looking a bit frustrated when she poked her head in the door. He nodded at her when he saw her and gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Yeah I know… okay I will… yes of course we're working as diligently on it as possible… no I still think that wasn't really a valid tip…" he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Well we can't always control what the media gets a hold of… Yes I understand… Good bye."

He hung up the phone and shook his head. "Of course Barone talked to one of the media outlets about the _fight_ Logan and Alexis had." Veronica cringed and let out a frustrated sigh. "So now they are putting pressure on Roger about it."

"But you know he didn't do it," Veronica immediately blurted out, feeling extremely defensive and angry.

"I know Veronica. And I swear I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure Roger doesn't try to force us to take any action there. I just wish Barone had kept his mouth shut."

"Well I can't say I'm surprised. He really doesn't like Logan. I also think he's a prime suspect, so unless he has an air tight alibi, the more mud he slings in Logan's direction, the guiltier he's looking to me."

Leo gave her a slightly warning look. "Just don't go after him with an already guilty assumption, okay?"

Veronica gave him a slight eye roll. "I know… I know… I'll be professional about it."

"Good, because if you're not able to, I'll send Johnson and Barton to talk to him instead."

Veronica shook her head, "I've got it Leo. I won't do anything that could screw up the case. Trust me."

He nodded in reply but gave her a warning look for a few seconds. Then his expression became more thoughtful instead. "Do you think we need to give Logan a heads up in case any of the media tracks him down about their fight now that it's out?"

Veronica shrugged. "We sort of already thought it could happen knowing Barone and how the media is in Neptune. I sort of hate to add to his anxiety at the moment if we don't have to. He's dealt with the press enough in his life that he should be okay. You can keep them out of the hospital right? He'll be there most of the day and I can swing back by later and talk with him before he leaves. That gives him some time to not worry about that in addition to everything else."

Leo nodded, "Yeah, I'd already contacted the security at the hospital even before the leak to be sure no one would be bothering her family or Logan. As long as he's in the hospital it should be fine."

"Great. Oh, and I may have a lead on the jewelry case. I checked with Mrs. Bennett and she didn't loan the necklace to Stephanie and the necklace Stacey was wearing also matches one that Mrs. Bennett owns." Veronica said with a triumphant expression on her face as she handed the pictures over to Leo.

"That's something to go on. If she had a way to get the necklaces out for the dance, she could just have easily stolen it from her later," Leo theorized as he studied the pictures. "Do you want me to get a search warrant before you go to talk to her? The pictures should give us probable cause. I can probably get one for you by tomorrow."

Veronica nodded. "That'll give me this afternoon to work on Alexis's case and then I can go talk to Stephanie tomorrow."

Leo handed the files back to her. "So how was Logan doing this afternoon? Norris mentioned you were meeting him over at the hospital."

Veronica shrugged, "I think he's better than he was this morning, and certainly better than last night. It's definitely a difficult thing for him to have to go through."

Leo nodded in agreement. "Any change in Alexis's status? I did ask the doctor to let us know if she woke up and could tell us who attacked her and haven't heard anything back from him yet."

"She's still unconscious, but there have been some positive signs at least." She replied with a grim expression.

She returned the case file to her office when she was done with Leo and went out to find Norris. She wanted to start with Barone, since she was upset with him about leaking the exaggerated story of the fight to the media. In addition to being on the city council, Matt also ran a mortgage company. They headed over to his office after calling first to ensure he'd be there.

A receptionist greeted them and led them back to Matt's office. Matt was just getting off the phone as they walked in. He gestured to two chairs that were in front of his desk.

"Norris," Matt said with a head nod in his direction. "And Veronica Mars. I'd heard you were back in town." He clearly wasn't pleased to see her again.

"Matt," Veronica said in reply. "We wanted to talk to you about the attack on Alexis Calloway."

"You're investigating that?" Matt said with a tinge of contempt in his tone. "Isn't that a conflict of interest if one of the suspects is your boyfriend?"

"Logan didn't attack her and he's not a suspect," Veronica replied trying to stay as calm as possible. "But we would like to ask where you were yesterday after you stopped by her office."

Matt glared at her and shook his head slightly. "I doubt that you have any actual proof that Logan didn't do it. We both grew up with him and know he's prone to violent tendencies. And he seemed pretty upset with her on Monday, telling her to stay away from another guy. He sounded jealous if you ask me."

Veronica tried not to laugh at his accusation. "Well I'm not asking, and I know exactly why he was telling her to stay away from Tommy and it wasn't for the reason you were thinking, so back to my question. Where were you between 4 and 5:30 yesterday?"

Matt narrowed his eyes a bit at Veronica. "After I left her office, I went home and changed clothes and then I went running."

"By yourself?" Norris asked, apparently trying to interject himself into the conversation to buffer some of the hostility between Matt and Veronica.

Matt turned toward Norris before he replied. "Yes, I went running by myself, but I did talk with one of my neighbors when I came back to my condo."

"What time was that?" Norris asked next.

"I don't remember exactly. Sometime between 5:30 and 5:45 I'd guess."

Veronica had checked on Matt's home address in case they had to check for him there, and found that it was only about 2 miles from Alexis's house. _Plenty of time to have attacked Alexis and made it back to talk with the neighbor. _Veronica had been watching him carefully as he talked to Norris. She still wasn't convinced that he wasn't the one who had attacked her. "And you don't remember running into anyone else you knew while you were out? Anyone who could corroborate your story that you weren't actually at Alexis's house around 5pm?" Veronica asked trying to keep the anger out of her own tone.

Matt glared at her again and shook his head. "If you're assuming Logan's innocence by the fact he _said_ he didn't do it, then I guess you'll just have to take me by my word as well. Or did Logan actually have someone who could verify his whereabouts when she was attacked?"

The cocky way Matt responded made Veronica want to hurl something at him or get a hold of a tazer. Instead she watched Matt's reaction carefully as she continued with a little bit of a bluff. "Luckily the doctors expect Alexis to be waking up very soon, and then we'll know exactly who her attacker was." She was expecting a flash of worry to cross his face if he'd been the attacker and either he wasn't or he had a much better poker face than she would have expected.

"Well I guess we'll find out then if Logan is guilty or not." Matt replied without hesitating at all.

"Excluding Logan, is there anyone else that you think would have wanted to hurt Alexis?" Norris interjected. Veronica tried not to protest about Norris's choice of wording about Logan, but knew why he had said it and let it go.

Matt looked thoughtfully between the two of them. "No, not that I can think of."

Norris nodded before he continued. "Can we also get the name of the neighbor you talked to so we can verify your story?" He asked in a casual tone.

Matt looked a bit annoyed with that request, but nodded and took out a notepad to write the neighbor's name and number down for Norris after he got the contact information out of his phone.

"Well if you think of anything else, please let us know and thanks for your time, Matt," Norris said as he stood up and extended his hand to shake Matt's. "We may contact you again with some follow-up questions.

Matt turned back to Norris and nodded as he also stood and shook his hand. "I really do hope that she wakes up soon so you can arrest the guilty party. Which I assure you, wasn't me."

Veronica stood as well, and then headed toward the door with Norris following right behind her. "Welcome back to Neptune, Veronica." Matt called out in a sarcastic teasing tone, right before the door closed behind them. Veronica let out an annoyed sigh and shook her head. She mumbled 'asshole' under her breath and caught Norris smirking as he walked up next to her.

As they got into the car, Norris turned to look at Veronica for a moment before he started the engine. "You know I don't think Logan did it right?" She gave him a small smile and nodded. "I know he's not the guy he was in high school any more. Neither of us are. While Matt may still be an arrogant 09er asshole, Logan's not like that anymore. I've seen him do really great things during his time as Mayor."

"Thanks," Veronica said as she gave him a grateful smile, "I know you're not the same guy either."

"So where to next?" He asked as he turned the key in the ignition to start the car.

"Let's see if Mr. Branford is at his real estate office since it's near here," she replied as she buckled her self in. He nodded and pulled out of the parking space and headed to the realty office. While they drove over, Veronica called to check in with Johnson and Barton to see if they'd learned anything yet at the Neptune Country Club. Johnson let her know that Alexis did have a standing court time every Thursday evening, but the way the courts at the club worked, if you didn't show up 15 minutes after the reserved time, anyone could use the court. They didn't actually keep track of who had shown up to use it besides the reservation system, so they didn't have any way to verify if she was there every week or not. They could request security footage if it was necessary, but they wanted to check in with her and Leo before they went that far. Veronica let them know that they'd see how the visit with Branford went first and then they could decide.

When they arrived, Mike's receptionist said he was just finishing up with some clients and should be available in 5 to 10 minutes. They took a seat in the reception area and a few minutes later, a young couple came out of the office, saying a quick good bye to the receptionist and headed out the door. The receptionist let them know they could go in and directed them back to his office.

"Well it's nice to see you again, Miss Mars," Mike said with a leering smile. "I don't believe we've met." He held out his hand to Norris, "Mike Branford," he said as they shook hands.

"Deputy Norris Clayton," Norris replied with a nod.

"Does your visit mean you've had some success with the jewelry case?" Mike asked turning his attention back to Veronica.

Veronica shook her head, "Sorry, not yet, though I may have a new lead we'll be following, so hopefully I'll have some news soon. This is actually about the attack on Alexis Calloway yesterday. I'm sure you've heard about it by now."

Mike took a deep breath and nodded. A sad expression crossed his face, replacing the almost inappropriately flirty look he'd been giving Veronica. "Yeah, absolutely horrible."

He took a seat at his desk and gestured for them to sit in the two chairs across from him.

"We learned from her secretary that the two of you play racquetball every week," Veronica said, watching Mike's reaction carefully. She noticed a slightly guilty expression cross over his face before he replied.

"Yeah, when I helped her find her house after she and Mr. Echolls separated, we discovered that we both enjoyed playing racquetball and started our weekly matches." Mike explained. "My wife doesn't like to play, so I was excited to find a partner to play with." _I'm sure you were. _Veronica couldn't help but pick up the unintended innuendo in his reply.

"And your wife was aware of your weekly games?" Veronica asked curiously.

"Well, she knew we played occasionally, but she has a standing book club meeting that night of the week as well, so she wasn't terribly concerned about what I was off doing." Mike replied offhandedly. Veronica couldn't help but wonder if her book club was fictional as well. _What a great pair the two of them make._

"And did you two spend time together alone, other than on the courts?" Veronica asked next, wondering how much he might be willing to divulge. He almost seemed like the cocky kind of guy, who would hang himself before he even realized what he'd let slip.

"Sure, sometimes, I guess. We mostly just played racquetball, but sometimes we weren't quite feeling up to it or whatever, and so sometimes we'd just grab a bite to eat and catch up instead of playing." Mike replied, looking down at his desk a bit more than he had been before. _He's probably worried that if we check into the club surveillance we may find they weren't always there._

"And your wife was fine with that? If we were to check with her about it, that wouldn't be a problem for you?" Veronica asked, hoping the slight hint at spilling that little bit of information to his wife would be enough.

"Look, I don't know why the two of us spending time together is relevant to your case. I certainly wasn't the one who attacked her. I was busy showing a couple around all day yesterday. We started at noon, and didn't wrap up until almost 7pm after we looked at houses and then had dinner together. I'd heard the attack happened around 5:30 from the news report," Mike said, suddenly seeming a bit concerned at the prospect of them discussing that with his wife.

"And would your wife have an alibi too?" Veronica asked, her eyes narrowing slightly at Mike.

"Well, I'm…" Mike started to speak then, hesitated. She could tell that realization was just hitting him that perhaps his wife had found out about their little affair and gone after Alexis. "I'm pretty sure she was at home with our daughters last night. But like I said, I was working until later and didn't make it home until almost 8pm by the time I finished up here at the office."

"I'm sure you'll understand our need to verify her whereabouts with her," Veronica replied with an almost smug smile.

Mike's expression changed to be almost horrified. "I'm sure Vicky didn't have anything to do with what happened to Lexi. I don't see what good it will do to talk to her." Veronica could sense the panic in his voice now. If his wife didn't already know much about their weekly meetings, being questioned about Alexis's attack was sure to set off all sorts of warning bells for her. Even if they said it was just because her husband played racquetball with her, she seemed like a smart enough woman to realize why that would lead them to question her.

"We'll try to be as indiscreet about our need to verify her alibi as possible, but I'm afraid we'll still need to talk to her." Veronica said with a compassionate expression on her face.

"Oh, well… Thank you I guess." Mike's anxiety was getting worse, and it was pretty evident that he had every reason to worry about his wife figuring things out.

"You don't happen to know anyone else who would want to harm Alexis do you? If you two spent a lot of time together, perhaps she mentioned something that could help us. Of course if we can find the real perpetrator, then we wouldn't need to talk to your wife," Veronica continued on curious to see what he might actually know and be willing to share to save himself.

His expression became thoughtful as he looked around the room nervously before responding. "She did mention something recently about being surprised to see someone that she hadn't seen for a while again."

Veronica gave him an intrigued look. "Did she happen to say who this person was? Whether it was a man or a woman?"

Mike shook his head, "No she was rather mysterious about it when she mentioned it. I remember her joking about bad pennies turning up though. She sometimes would say obscure little idioms like that, rather than actually telling me what she was talking about." Mike thought for another moment. "I think she said something like she thought she'd seen the last of that particular annoyance for a while, but apparently she hadn't. I really didn't think it was that big of a deal and wasn't paying that much attention to her though. I can't recall if there was any mention of it being a man or a woman."

Veronica nodded in reply. _Apparently pillow talk must not have been something he was all that interested in when they were together._ "Did you get the feeling that she was afraid of this person? That she thought they would want to hurt her?"

Mike shook his head, "No, nothing like that. She seemed more annoyed that they were around again, rather than worried about it at all. I do remember getting at least that sense from our brief conversation about it."

"Any idea how far back in her past this person may have been? I do know she grew up in LA, and then went to UCLA for a while before transferring to Hearst and living in Neptune."

Mike shook his head again.

"Well if you think of anything more specific that could help us narrow down this person, please get a hold of us." Veronica replied with an appreciative smile.

Mike nodded and looked a bit more hopeful that maybe they wouldn't be going immediately to talk to his wife. They thanked him for his time, and headed back out to Norris's car.

"So now we're looking for a bad penny," Veronica said thoughtfully as they walked down the sidewalk back toward the car.

Norris nodded in agreement, "Do you think he was just leading us on? Trying to keep us from talking to his wife?"

Veronica shook her head. "No I think she really did mention something to him based on his reaction in there. It's too bad he didn't actually spend more time listening to her and less time doing whatever else it was he was doing." She mentally cringed for a moment, wishing she hadn't gone there. "It would have been nice if he'd been at least able to tell us if it was a man or a woman." She let out a frustrated sigh, "Between Logan, her sister and David though, maybe one of them might be able to help us figure out who it might be. Although from what I've observed about her, there could likely be a huge list of people she'd consider annoying bad pennies that she'd rather not have around." A small laugh escaped her. "I'd probably be near the top of that list myself actually."

"You, a bad penny?" Norris asked sarcastically and chuckled.

"Hey now!" Veronica protested.

"Well you're the one who started it."

"Fair point, but you didn't have to agree so quickly!"

Norris chuckled as they climbed into his squad car. "So time to track down Tommy? From what I can tell, he doesn't seem to have a steady job, so he might be a little trickier to locate if he's not at home."

"Yeah, he could be at the gym too. I got the sense he spent a fair amount of time there."

The gym was closer to where they were than his apartment, so they headed there first. Veronica recalled her first visit there when she went to see if Logan had retreated there when she'd told him about Leo's offer. As they walked in, she scanned the gym for Tommy, with her eyes quickly landing on one of the boxing rings with two men fighting in it. As the one man turned his back toward them, she caught a glance at a familiar clover tattoo on his shoulder. She gestured to Norris with her head in his direction. The two of them walked over to the ring, which captured the attention of both fighters and they stopped boxing.

Tommy took off his headgear and took out his mouth guard. He nodded at Veronica then told the other guy he needed a few minutes and climbed out of the ring.

"Well I can guess what you're likely doing here," he said as he looked between Veronica and Norris.

Veronica nodded, "Yeah, we're working on Alexis's attack." Tommy nodded in reply.

"Any leads?" He asked curiously, not seeming the least bit concerned that he might be one of their suspects.

Veronica shrugged. "We actually came to see where you were yesterday between 4:00 and 5:30."

Tommy smiled in reply. "I was here actually. Working out and then doing a bit of boxing. Got here about 4:30 and left at 6:00. There's security cameras if you need proof, as well as the guys I was working out with and boxing with. Between 3:00 and 4:30 I had stopped by The Clover and chatted with Molly for a little while before I drove over here. I'm sure you could get her security footage if you need it as well."

The guy he'd been boxing with walked back over toward them carrying a water bottle and a towel. "Hey Dominick," Tommy called out to him. "What was I doing yesterday at 5pm?"

The guy he'd called out to laughed before he replied. "Kicking my ass in that ring," he said pointing behind Tommy.

An older guy walked up as Dominick answered and slapped him on the shoulder. "You can say that again. He clocked you a few good ones." He looked at Veronica and Norris, "Hi, I'm Reggie, the gym's owner. Can I help you two with anything?" Reggie looked like a retired boxer, probably in his early 50's but still in very good shape. Even with his muscular build, he had very friendly green eyes and a face covered in freckles. His red hair was cut fairly short and was thinning a bit on top.

"Deputy Norris Clayton," Norris said as he reached out his hand to shake Reggie's. "And this is Veronica Mars. She's a consultant for the Sheriff's department."

"Nice to meet you both," Reggie said with a smile. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"We actually came to talk with Tommy about the attack on Alexis Calloway." Veronica explained with a friendly smile. "Partly to find out his whereabouts during the time since we know he's an acquaintance of hers."

Reggie nodded. "I can verify that Tommy was here yesterday between at least 5 and 6 and can get you video footage if necessary." Veronica figured he must have heard Tommy as he'd walked over. "I'd arrived right at 5 when Tommy and Dominick had started boxing and watched them fight for a while. And such a horrible thing that happened to that nice lady. I remember she used to come down sometimes with Mayor Echolls and watch him work out and fight. She even did a little sparring herself." Veronica noticed Tommy try to hide a small grin. _Apparently Tommy liked watching Alexis spar back when she was with Logan too._

"Thanks," Norris replied and pulled out a card. "Can you email the footage, or do you need a flash drive?"

"I can have my security company email it to you if you'd like," Reggie said with a smile and a nod.

Veronica turned her attention back to Tommy. "Do you have any idea who may have wanted to do this to her?" She noticed him glance almost nervously at Reggie and shake his head.

After pausing for a minute he did offer a suggestion. "Actually, maybe it was that Casey fellow? He didn't seem too happy with how things went at the club on Saturday night."

Veronica narrowed her eyes at him. _The incident you helped orchestrate_. "Casey was out of town and has a sound alibi. Any one else?"

Tommy shook his head again.

"Well if you think of anyone else, please give us a call," Norris replied and handed another card to Tommy.

Veronica couldn't help but feel like something was a bit off between Reggie and Tommy and as they started to head toward the door to leave the gym, she turned back to Reggie again. "Sorry, I didn't catch your last name," she said with a curious expression on her face.

"Reggie O'Reilly," Reggie answered with a smile and a nod.

Veronica smiled and nodded in return, and then shot a quick look at Tommy, who suddenly found his feet extremely interesting. She gestured with her head at Tommy, "Walk out with us for a minute?" she said in a tone that clearly expressed it wasn't optional. Tommy nodded and started walking toward her.

Once they were outside the gym Veronica turned back to Tommy. "So anyone else that you think might have been involved that you didn't want to rat out in front of her father?"

Tommy gave her a sheepish look and shrugged. "Okay, so maybe Kennedy."

"Why do you think Kennedy would have attacked her? Obviously not jealousy over the two of you since she's with Gavin." Veronica replied curtly.

"Not jealousy, no. But she still didn't like Alexis. Never has. Ever since Alexis came between her and Logan… or maybe even before that. She completely blamed Alexis for the two of them breaking up. I get the feeling they may have known each other even before she dated Logan. I think Kennedy took some classes at Hearst and had met Alexis there. I never heard the entire history between the two of them, but I know she really doesn't like her." _Maybe we'd better get Kennedy's alibi now just to be sure, although if it is Gavin, I'm not sure how reliable that is if they are dating._

"Anything else?" Veronica asked with a serious look on her face.

Tommy shook his head. "Can I go back inside now?" he asked as he tipped his head back in the direction of the Gym. Veronica nodded and he gave her a small smile, and then headed back inside.

"At least we'll have video proof for him," Norris said as he looked questioningly at her, apparently trying to figure out what she was thinking now.

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, I can have Mac verify that it seems legit and that it's time stamped appropriately too. Although I have a feeling he's telling the truth and was here. But I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"What about Kennedy?" Norris asked next.

Veronica let out a sigh, "She's still a viable suspect. I'm guessing her alibi is going to be Gavin and even if he wasn't with her, given they're dating he'd probably lie for her and say that he was. Although if we can verify he was somewhere else then that might prove she's hiding something. Maybe we should get the video footage from The Clover to see if Gavin was there with Tommy." _Or I could ask Troy if he was there too._ "I think it's a good idea to work on that and then we can ask Kennedy for her alibi and see if she goes with Gavin. If Tommy thinks the tapes from The Clover are to save him, then we shouldn't have a hard time getting them from Molly. With any luck Gavin will have been with Tommy and will be on the footage. We could also check with Gavin's mom to see if he was home at the time. We'd better validate his whereabouts before we go back to Kennedy so that Gavin can't tip his mom off too. I'm sure that being connected to both the Sorokin's and Fitzpatrick's, she wouldn't be above lying to help out her son."

They slowly walked back to his car. "I really should head back over to the hospital to check on Logan and see how things are going there. Hopefully Alexis will wake up soon and then we'll be able to find out who the perpetrator was, or at least wasn't, if it was a stranger that she didn't know."

Norris nodded as they climbed in the car. He took her back to the station so she could retrieve her car. He said he'd work on getting the information they needed to figure out Gavin's whereabouts next. She stopped in and gave Leo a quick overview of how the case was progressing before she headed over to see how things were going at the hospital.


End file.
